Broken
by The Last Princess of Hyrule
Summary: -Sequel to "Anywhere"- Borne by the wings of the Dragon, the cold spell of winter covers Gaea. As Folken and Hitomi return to Asturia, their arrival brings with it unwelcome hardships. People falter, relationships break, and a rebellion brews.
1. Broken

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Broken" song lyrics are property of Seether and Amy Lee, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 1: Broken**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"The worst is over now,  
And we can breathe again,  
I wanna hold you high,  
Steal my pain away,  
There's so much left to learn,  
And no one left to fight,  
I wanna hold you high,  
And steal your pain . . ."_  
-Seether and Amy Lee, "Broken"

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A large, wispy cloud drifted through the brilliant blue sky at eye-level to Hitomi Kanzaki. It passed her in a lazy fashion, attesting to the torpid pace at which the entire day had proceeded up to that point. Scattered beams of sunlight pierced through the patchy cloud cover above her, dancing over her slender, windswept figure with the cool touch of autumn, a feeling rarely associated with bright light. She closed her vibrant green eyes against it and expelled a despondent sigh, which the rushing wind snatched from her lungs the moment she tried to take a breath.

The sun refracted across the smooth white metal of the dragon-shaped guymelef, the Escaflowne, as it banked slightly to the right, turning head-on into the wind current. This new force gave Folken Fanel little trouble as he maneuvered the Dragon, high above layers of mist that swathed the Chatal Mountains in their milky breath. Hitomi kept her arms loose around his waist and leaned her head against his back, watching the sun sink leisurely into the westward sky beside them.

"We'll be there soon," he said.

She nodded, the movement of her head rubbing the fabric of his shirt up and down. They had been flying for most of the day, south from the ruins of the country of Zaibach. Once it had been a magnificent empire, incapable of defeat, controlling the fate of the entire planet, when a girl of questionable origin used this power to defeat its emperor. Gaea would long be telling her story, writing her into history.

". . . and inevitably, into legend," Folken had concluded as he explained his thoughts along these same lines to Hitomi. A week earlier, they sat together on the floor of an abandoned cottage at the lush, forested border between Zaibach and Asturia, wrapped in a warmif a little dustyblanket. The cottage sported little more than two beds, a table with chairs, and a chronically leaking roof. It was poorly furnished and poorly kept, but despite the growing chill in the weather as autumn covered Gaea, the cottage remained warm, and undisturbed.

"Legend?" Hitomi coughed in response to the outrageous statement, as if choking on the word with her disbelief.

"You accomplished something that the greatest kings and strongest armies on Gaea have been unable to achieve for the last three hundred years," Folken pointed out. "You brought the Zaibach empire to your mercy."

She laughed. "Hardly. It was the other way around most of the time. I was always the one being chased from country to country by Zaibach because of my powers. I think the only time I was ever in control was when I actually faced Dornkirk."

"And yet, you succeeded," he said. "You stood before the emperor and triumphed. I believe _that_ in itself deserves recognition, aside from the fact that you saved Gaea in the process."

Hitomi smiled and leaned her head back against his shoulder, taking in every word as he spoke. Even with the miserable cold weather outside, at the times when the roof leaked with rain, their two months living on the Zaibach border were the happiest days either of them had experienced in a very long time. It was the first time since her arrival on Gaea that Hitomi had spent any time anywhere free from the weight of her destiny. It was the first time since failing the Fanelian Rite of Passage that Folken had been in a situation he didn't later regret. It was the first time since leaving Asturia that they were together long enough to discover what their love fully entailed.

"You deserve that acknowledgment," Folken went on, wrapping one arm around her stomach. She covered his hand with hers. "You saved Gaea from an eternity of war and controlled fate."

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter. No matter what, you can't escape your ultimate destiny," Hitomi said. "Even Dornkirk couldn't change that."

At these words, the contented expression vanished from Folken's face, the unwelcome memory of that final confrontation with the emperor replacing it with a cold glare. "He didn't think he needed to. He was so certain that it was his destiny to control fate and rule a unified Gaea that he refused to consider any otherwise possibility, even that of his own demise."

A little warning alarm went off in Hitomi's mind. She wrapped her fingers tightly around Folken's hand and turned to look up at him. "Hey," she called gently. "It's all over now. Let it go."

The sound of her voice seemed to call him back to where they were, and the coldness slowly melted away from his visage. Too many times in those two months since the downfall of Zaibach had Hitomi dealt with Folken's dark moods. Even now, so far from his former life, there were still times when he would suddenly turn cold, cruel, and unfeeling, the way he had been during his employment with Zaibach. The former Strategos was once known for his patient, merciless nature, and Hitomi found talk of things like fate alteration and Zaibach politics sometimes caused him to slip back into those habits unconsciously.

"There's no point in dwelling on the past like that," Hitomi added. "There's nothing we can do about it anymore."

Folken put his other arm around her stomach and Hitomi rested hers overtop them. With a contented sigh, she leaned her head back against his shoulder again and closed her eyes. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Except to repeat it."

A worried crease appeared on Hitomi's forehead, and she opened her eyes to look up at him. It vanished immediately when she saw his wry expression, her lips curving up in a smile. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Folken only smiled.

"Oh, really?" Hitomi jabbed her elbow back into his stomach, her smile turning mischievous. Folken coughed and winced, but his expression never wavered.

"Are you looking for a fight?" he asked.

As he said this, Hitomi was already up out of his grasp, turning around on her knees to face him.

"Only if you want one, but I'm going to win," she declared.

Folken sat up. "Without cheating?"

Hitomi narrowed her eyes with a fierce glare. "I don't cheat."

"You use your pendant."

"That evens the odds," she protested. "You're stronger than me."

"Strength has nothing to do with it."

Hitomi sat back on her heels. "No, I guess not. It's all about . . . surprise!" With that, she suddenly turned around and lunged at him. Folken laughed as the force of her impact knocked him backward into the wall.

"It has nothing to do with surprise, either." He lifted his right hand up behind her and drew the tip of his metal index finger lightly up along the back of her neck. A cold chill trembled down her spine, causing Hitomi to shiver. "All you need to know to turn any battle in your favor is your enemy's weakness."

Hitomi folded her arms in front of her and propped herself up against his broad chest. "You don't fight fair."

"And you do?"

Hitomi looked smug. "Well, yes. As a matter of fact, I do."

Folken smirked and traced the back of her neck with his finger again.

"Stop doing that!"

"I don't think I will," he said blatantly.

"Well, fine then. We'll just see about that." She started to get up, but he wrapped both arms around her and held her down.

"I suppose we will."

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Hitomi sighed with a melancholy air, forcing herself firmly to remember that this was only a pleasant memory which had already passed. Reality was aboard the back of a white Ispano guymelef flying alongside the sunset toward the capitol of Asturia, Palas.

"There's the ocean."

Folken's voice further indicated the change between memory and reality as they flew through a thick white cloud and out into clear sky. There, they could finally see the wide ocean that spread out beneath them, its waters marbled with the deep crimson and vibrant orange of the sunset.

"I see," said Hitomi. "It's beautiful."

Folken caught the forlorn tone in her words. He slowed the Escaflowne to a speed where they could easily hear each other over the wind. "Is something bothering you, Hitomi?"

"I'm fine."

He looked back over his shoulder at her for a moment, unconvinced. "You sound worried."

"It's nothing."

"Is it too soon for us to return to Palas?"

Hitomi sighed. He knew what was wrong even before she said it. He could read her expressions without any hint of difficulty, and in the past couple months, it had grown almost impossible to hide things from him. "It's not that. I guess I'm just nervous. I don't know how I'm going to face everyone after everything that's happened." Hitomi's eyebrows knitted together.

"You don't think they'll take too kindly on your return?" Folken's tone indicated that he agreed with this thought.

She hesitated.

"Didn't you say you explained everything to Princess Millerna in the letter you sent her?"

"A little." Hitomi watched a thick cloud as it slowly broke into two smaller ones. "I told her about why I left, and clarified a few things along those lines, but not much else. A lot was still up in the air at that time."

"I take it, then, that we aren't expected tonight."

She shook her head. "I said I wasn't sure when I'd be back. Weeks, months, I had no idea."

"Does she know about us?"

Hitomi nodded. "But I don't know if anyone else does. I said she could tell everyone if she wanted to, but I'm not sure if she would. She might have thought it was a secret."

They flew in silence for a few minutes. The sun dipped further down toward the sea, into the depths of which it would soon sink for its nightly slumber, while Gaea's two moons watched over the sky in its place.

"Do you want to turn around?" Folken asked at last.

Hitomi's heart leapt at the option, but with much effort, she forced herself to refuse. "The longer I wait to face them, the harder it will be."

"But the longer you wait, the better prepared you will be," he suggested.

Hitomi leaned her head back against him again and tightened her hold around his waist. "Please don't try to talk me out of this. I'm having enough doubts myself, even though I know this is the right thing to do."

She felt Folken tense a little at her reprimand. "Trust your reason," he said. "Isn't that what you're always suggesting? Those people in Palas are your friends. If they care about you at all, like I do, then just having you return to them will be enough. They won't care about the past, and they'll forgive you for anything you might have done to hurt them."

"Do you forgive me?"

"I never held anything against you." Folken looked back at her again. "You really are worried, aren't you?"

"I can't hide in that broken-down cottage forever. And I want to help rebuild Asturia." She sighed again. "I'll be all right as long as you're with me. I couldn't go back alone."

"You could, but you don't have to."

Hitomi looked out over the side of the guymelef and down below them. "We're past the Chatal Mountains now. I think we should fly lower so we can see the city."

The conversation abated, and they sped up, making it difficult to hear more than the wind rushing past. The Escaflowne dipped below the cloud cover, diving through a spray of frosty condensation that prickled on Hitomi's skin. From this new angle, the sunset's violent display was even more stunning, its last rays scorching the undersides of the clouds. Out ahead of her, Hitomi could easily trace the shoreline of the Asturian bay, around which the sprawl of Palas clustered.

"It'll be all right," said Folken. "I'm sure of it."

Despite the strong conviction in his voice, Hitomi's doubts remained.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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**Author's Note:** All reviews are encouraged, especially constructive criticism. If you've found in inaccuracy or typo somewhere in my writing, please quote the exact place in a review and point it out to me so that I can go back to change it.


	2. Steal My Pain

**Notes of Reference:** "Jichia" is the name of the sea dragon god the people of Asturia worship. Also, just as a reminder, Dilandau and Celena speak to each other using a kind of telepathic link, represented by slash(/) marks. Two slashes(/./) indicate Dilandau is speaking, while one slash(/) indicates Celena. I apologize in advance for any missing punctuation marks, as filters have made this system of telepathy difficult to illustrate. 

**Disclaimer: **_Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Broken" song lyrics are property ofSeether andAmy Lee,all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken" -_ Chapter 2: Steal My Pain**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"'Cause I'm broken,  
When I'm lonesome,  
And I don't feel right,  
When you're gone away,  
You've gone away,  
You don't feel me here anymore . . ."_  
-Seether and Amy Lee, "Broken"

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At the banquet hall in the Asturian palace, Princess Millerna Sara Aston had her own doubts about the events transpiring around her, though they had little to do with Hitomi. They focused instead on another young woman so consumed by worry that she hadn't moved the entire dinner. Celena Schezar simply sat across from the princess with her hands folded in her lap, paying absolutely no attention to her surroundings.

"Celena, will you _please_ eat something?" pleaded her older brother, Knight Caeli Allen Schezar, who sat to her right.

Celena remained motionless. The tall glass widows on in the western wall were open, letting in the cold autumn breeze to relieve the hot, stuffy air in the hall. It tousled her colorless blonde hair and ruffled the lacy collar of her dress, but Celena remained oblivious to it. In fact, it was not so much a look of inattentiveness that covered her face, as Millerna noticed, but more of steady concern, perpetuated by an occasional look of consternation.

The princess had a troubled look on her face that matched Celena's. "She's been like that all day," she said. "She came out to the gardens with me this morning and stayed after I left, but when I came back this evening, she was still sitting there exactly how I left her."

"She seemed fine when she got up this morning," said Allen. "I didn't notice anything strange about her." He hesitated a little on use of the word 'strange,' not enough for it to be obvious, but enough so that everyone at the table knew he meant 'strang_er_.'

"Maybe she's sick of people talking about her like she isn't even there." Van Fanel leaned back in his chair at the end of the table with his arms crossed. He eyed the knight with a glare.

Allen gave him a bitter look. "What was that?"

"If you treated her with more respect, maybe she'd feel comfortable enough around here to really talk to us," said Van.

Allen opened his mouth to continue the argument, but Princess Eries interrupted him.

"Stop it," she snapped from her seat at Millerna's left. The elder princess of Asturia halted the heated discussion immediately. "You're both acting childish."

The table was silent for a few minutes. A pair of serving maids entered the banquet hall from a door in the back and began to clear away the table, but no one moved. However, when one tried to take Celena's plate, Allen stopped her. "Just a minute, please. She isn't finished."

The maid backed up and bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, sir. I beg your pardon, sir."

When the maids finished and left, Allen rested his elbows against the table in a tired fashion and sighed. "Celena," he began. "Is something wrong?"

Celena said nothing, but her eyebrows knit together with a sudden intensification of whatever it was inside that so worried her.

"It takes more than that to regain a person's trust," commented Van.

"And what would you know about that?" asked Allen pointedly.

Van scowled at him, but didn't have an answer.

"Come on, Celena. We should be going." Allen placed a hand on her shoulder and got up. Celena stood automatically and turned to follow him as he walked toward the tall double doors, but as he pushed one open, she stopped. Allen noticed her absence and turned around. "Celena?"

Celena seemed to see something the others couldn'tor else she was just staring through him because she was thinking of something else.

"Celena . . .?" Allen repeated, taking a step toward her.

"They're coming back here," she said in a raspy, unused voice. "That's what it is."

"What? Who?"

But Celena went silent again.

"Allen?" Millerna got up and walked around the table toward Allen and Celena, looking worried. Allen hardly noticed her presence, his blue eyes fixed on Celena with an intensity just as surprising as his sister's cryptic words.

"Celena," he said again. "What are you talking about?"

No amount of prompting, however, would make Celena say anything more.

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/./I don't like it. I don't like it at all././

Dilandau was stressed.

Celena had been aware of it all day, what with how strongly he was feeling it. At times, his emotions could be so strong that they overshadowed her own thoughts, intruding on her mind and refusing to leave her in peace until they had been resolved. At those times, it became almost impossible to concentrate on anything else. All that day, she had focused on Dilandau and tried to ask him what was troubling him, but for as many times as she tried, she never received a straight answer.

/Why are you so worked up/ she asked for the umpteenth time. She sat in a chair in her bedroom at the Schezar estate, staring into the warm fire as she was prone to do. /There aren't any disasters about to strike, or anything./

/./This is really bad././

The same answer as last time. Celena's face fell, disheartened, but she was determined not to give up. They were both a part of each otherit was only right that she help him in any way she could. Besides which, if they didn't solve his problem by the end of the night and stop his worrying, Celena wasn't going to get any sleep.

/Dilandau, calm down./ she said with a sigh.

/./How can I be calm? This is really bad././

/_What_ is so bad/ she demanded. /Maybe if you'd give me a straight answer, I'd be able to help you./

/./I don't need your help. You can barely take care of yourself././ Dilandau retorted. /./Look at what you did at dinner. They were suspicious, and you did a terrible job telling them what's going to happen/./

/I did the best I could./ Celena protested. /If you weren't being such a pain, maybe I could think straight and come up with a good answer./

/./Well, you didn't, and now they're _certain_ that you're crazy././ he went on, ignoring her. /./Maybe if you talked more at other times, like a _normal_ person, you'd actually be able to speak when the occasion called for it././

Celena scowled. /Who are you to preach? You hate people./

/./But _you_ don't././

She groaned. /I don't want to discuss this. I just want you to stop being so worked up about whatever it is that's bothering you./

/./I don't get why it's not bothering _you_. You're always the one who gets worried about these things././

/What things/

/./Me/./ Dilandau shouted, as if it had been obvious the entire day. /./They're going to figure it out for sure now. They're going to find out about me. And do you know what's going to happen to us when they do/./ He didn't wait for Celena to answer. /./Death! Yes, death, with the whole noose and scaffold bit././

/Aren't you being a little over-dramatic/

/./This is completely reasonable/./ Dilandau protested. /./If they find out about me, they're going to think you're possessed, and there are only two thing they do with possessed people. Either they'll tie you to a stake and set you on fire to try to burn the demon out of you, or they'll just presume you beyond help and hang you././

Celena rolled her eyes. /That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. These are my friends we're talking about here, and my brother. They wouldn't do something like that. It's barbaric./ She stuck out her tongue in a disgusted look. /Be rational./

/./I am being rational/./

/You're being a wreck./

Dilandau sighed. /./Why are you so confident/./

/What could possibly tip them off that you're in my mind? Or that you even _exist_ for that matter/

/./Well, since you insist, let's think about this rationally. How could they _not_ know? You sit around for hours at a time just talking to me. That probably looks _very_ odd to someone passing by, which is another reason why you should talk to other people more././

Celena, who hadn't moved since returning home from dinner, shifted uncomfortably. /I'm sure it looks weird, but I really don't think anyone's worried about it. They're probably used to it by now./

/./So what about today? That knight would not stop giving you looks at dinner, and he normally doesn't do that././

/First of all, can't you call my brother by his name? Just to be respectful/

/./No././

No surprise. Celena went on undeterred. /And second, perhaps the reason he's worried about me is because _you_ were distracting me all day. I know this can't be the only thing bothering you. This "threat" of everyone finding out about you isn't anything new, and you certainly weren't this worked up about it yesterday./ She pursed her lips and her thoughts turned stern. /What exactly is going on/

Dilandau hesitated. /./It's about what you said last night. You were acting really weird././

Celena thought back to the night before. /You mean my reading? _That's_ what's been bothering you all day/

Dilandau projected a frustrated emotion at her accompanied by silence, which Celena had taken to mean that he was glaring at her.

/I suppose I could be wrong./ she went on, trying to reassure him, even though she still wasn't clear on what about her reading was so upsetting. /I mean, Hitomi didn't teach me much about how to read her Tarot cards before I left. I could easily have misread the signs./

/./And/./ he prompted.

/And what? I asked the cards to tell me how Hitomi was doing, and they said she and Folken were coming back to Palas tonight. That's all there was to it./

/./It just doesn't make sense. Why would they _want_ to come back here/./

/Maybe they miss their friends./

Dilandau burst into laughter. /./Ha, that's a riot! I love it/./

Celena's thoughts turned to reprimand. /The cards didn't say _why_ they were coming back./ she said matter-of-factly.

/./Hmm . . ././ Dilandau seemed contemplative, but Celena couldn't tell whether he was sincere or not.

/Is all this just because you don't like Folken/

/./That has nothing to do with it/./ Dilandau snapped.

That certainly got a rise out of him. Encouraged, Celena continued. /Then what/

/./Are you completely ignorant? Former Zaibach Stratagos? Vengeful Asturians? General economic discord? Any of this connecting for you/./

/Yes, I know what you're getting at, but he wasn't the cause of any of this. He was in residence here before the war, and nothing happened./

/./That was also before the _Delate_ burned down six small villages on its way to attack Palas. There is still a lot of suspicion that Folken was here to gather information for the empire before it fell. It'd just be complete chaos with him back here././

/Is that why you're worried about him/

/./I'm not././ he corrected, placing heavy emphasis on these two words. /./I'm worried about you././

/Me? Why/

/./Because if he says something stupid that tips anybody off about you and me, then it's the noose././ said Dilandau with an exasperated sigh.

/What are you talking about/

/./Listen, no one here knows anything about what happened to you the last ten years, except that you were in Zaibach, and I'd like to keep it that way. Think about how much Folken knows about you and me that he could tell them././

/Is that what's got you all jumpy about Allen finding out about you/

/./I'm so glad you could figure it out././

/Well, I don't think Folken has _any_ incentive to do something like that, but I'll humor you./ Celena sighed. /So, what do you want me to do about it? Do you want me to consult the cards/

/./Gods, no. That'd take you all night././

/Then what/

/./Well, can't you do _something_/./

/Like what/ Celena was starting to get frustrated. /Try giving me some suggestions. I'm not Hitomi. I can't change fate. If they're coming, they're coming, and there's really nothing I can do about it./

Dilandau went silent for a moment, thinking. The fire crackled. It was almost out of kindling. /./Then what should we do/./

/How about we go back to the palace, and wait to see if my reading was right./

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . . **

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	3. This Life

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "This Life" song lyrics are property of Mandalay, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 3: This Life**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"Just what you said was cold advice,  
I discovered sticks go with knives,  
I discovered I could've died in your chains,  
Still I feel, so won't you stay . . .?"_  
-Mandalay, "This Life"

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The enrapturing sunset, with its vibrant reds and oranges, had finally burnt out when Folken and Hitomi reached the capitol of Asturia. Stars dusted the midnight sky with their cosmic breath as the Escaflowne touched down gently on one of the empty leviship landing spaces at the bay's edge. They were motionless for a moment, gazing out at the calm rippling water and the light from Palas's lighthouse that shone across it. The sight of the splendor before her made Hitomi catch her breath.

"I forgot how beautiful Palas is at night," she said.

Folken nodded.

"Is that what brought you back?"

The all-too-familiar voice behind her turned Hitomi's blood to ice as she and Folken turned around. Two people stood expectantly at the edge of the landing strip, watching them and waiting. Hitomi bit her lip. She hadn't planned a certain way that she would meet her friends again, but this most definitely wasn't it.

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"Lord Van," whispered a high-pitched, insistent voice near his ear. "Lord Van, wake up." The voice's owner shook him.

Slowly, Van stirred and opened his eyes to see a familiar figure standing over him. A young cat-girl looked down on him with wide blue eyes and a worried look that clouded her usual mischievous composure.

"Merle . . . ?" he asked, still thick with sleep. "What's going on?"

"Hitomi's back."

Van blinked slowly, staring at her, the meaning of the words flying over his head. "Mmmph, that's nice." Van closed his eyes and rolled over, unwilling to put any effort into actually thinking about what she said. He was just too tired to care about anything other than five more hours of sleep. "I'll see her in the morning."

Merle looked agitated. "But, Lord Van, they're _both_ here."

Van opened his eyes again, her insistent words finally penetrating his exhausted mind. Hitomi was . . . here? In Palas? Then did that mean . . . ? "Folken?"

Merle nodded.

"Where are they?" he asked, climbing out of bed and pulling a shirt over his head.

"Out in one of the courtyards," she answered. "The little one with the fountain, I think. Princess Millerna told me to wake you up so you could see them."

Van picked up his sword where it leaned against his bedside table, and strapped it to his side. "Let's go." He shoved open the door and walked out into the hall, Merle close at his heels. She had some difficulty keeping up with Van's long, determined strides, but the King hardly noticed her presence in his distracted state, and didn't think to slow down.

A thousand questions rushed through his head, coupled with a thousand absurd hypothesis, each more illogical than the last. Foremost in his mind was: why? Why, by the name of all that was holy, had Hitomi come back, and Folken with her? He had kidnapped her months ago, and taken her to Zaibach, where by some miracle she must have escaped and managed to defeat the emperor on her own. But how? _Why_? Too many gaps in his knowledge of what had happened to her obscured any formation of a logical reason. _Why, Hitomi? What happened to you?_

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Hitomi tilted her head back to look up at the sky. _It's only been two months, but it feels like years since the last time I sat here like this. The stars haven't changed at all. The sky looks just like it did the night we left._ She sat at the edge of the fountain facing the door that led into the castle, her hands resting out to her sides, balancing her as she gazed upward. After a moment of captivated awe, she looked down again, noting the growing crowd in the courtyard.

Allen and Celena Schezar stood side by side on her left, neither of them speaking. It had been Allen who called out to her on the docks, Celena with him. To Hitomi's surprise, neither of them seemed shocked at all by she and Folken's arrival. Upon Allen's suggestion, the group made their way to the palace in the center of the city to seek out Princess Millerna.

Hitomi looked over at Millerna, more curious about what was going on in her mind than anyone else's. Though a little put out at first for being woken so late at night, the princess immediately burst into a fit of excited hysterics at the sight of Hitomi and Folken. She insisted that everyone follow her outside where they could talk in peace without worrying about waking anyone up. Unfortunately, since arriving outside, no one had anything to say.

Folken stood within arm's reach of Hitomi. It wasn't evident in his expression, but she could tell he was uneasy with the less than desirable conditions of their return, and the sudden meeting outside in the middle of the night. He did not pace, but he wouldn't sit down, even when Hitomi held out her hand and beckoned to him. Like she, he knew that this first meeting was going to be awkward, considering the circumstances under which they left, but he too had hoped for different conditions.

Van, who had joined them a few minutes after they first arrived in the courtyard, leaned against a pillar near the door with his arms crossed, Merle next to him. He had an angry, disapproving look on his face, and his eyes kept flickering back to Hitomi. She shifted uncomfortably, hoping his expression was from wanting to go back to bed.

Millerna was the first to try to break the awkward silence. "Now that everyone's here, I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I say welcome back."

Hitomi started, her wandering gaze returning to Millerna.

The princess tried to smile upon meeting Hitomi's eyes. "To both of you," she added, looking around again. "We're glad you're safe."

"Thank you," said Hitomi automatically, not knowing what else to say.

The courtyard slipped into awkwardness again, but Millerna tried to prompt conversation again before too long had passed. "I understand that it's a little late for a proper welcome, so maybe we can meet in the Great Hall for breakfast in the morning."

There were some nods and murmurs of agreement, but Van asked, "If this was all you had to say, why did you wake us all just to come out for a couple minutes?"

Before Millerna could answer, Celena spoke. "I beg your pardon, Sire, but I was the one who asked Millerna to wake you." She bowed her head. "Your quarrel is with me."

Van sighed. "Would you _please_ just call me Van? You don't have to be so formal around me all the time. And I'm not angry; I just want to get some rest."

"Right," said Allen. "It's much too late to continue this conversation." He turned and bowed to the people in the courtyard. "Princess, everyone, we'll see you in the morning. Come on, Celena." He took her hand and led her away.

Van repressed a yawn. "He's right. It's time for bed. We'll see you in the morning, Millerna." With that, he and Merle went back into the palace, leaving Millerna, Folken, and Hitomi alone in the courtyard.

"Van seems different," Hitomi commented.

"Really?" Millerna looked sideways at the door Van had entered. "I haven't noticed any change."

Hitomi shrugged. "I'm not quite sure how. Just . . . different. Maybe it's just because I haven't seen him for a long time," she suggested. "You seem a little different, too."

"Oh, really?" Millerna looked genuinely curious. "How's that?"

Hitomi's eyes narrowed in concentration. "I'm not quite sure . . . Sad, I think."

"You haven't seen me for three months, and you can tell that?" Millerna laughed in a good-hearted nature. "How can you be so sure?"

"I'm not. It's just what I" A gaping yawn cut her off. "feel."

Millerna suddenly remembered herself. "Oh my goodness, where are my manners? You two must be exhausted." She started toward the door leading into the palace and motioned Hitomi and Folken to follow. "I'm afraid we weren't expecting you, otherwise we would have rooms ready."

"Of course not," said Hitomi, smiling. "How would you?"

"I'm sure there's something available you can use until better arrangements are made tomorrow." Millerna turned down a tall corridor lined with ornate candelabras, which led to the guests' wing of the palace. "You don't mind sharing a room tonight, do you?" She looked back at them, blushed, and hurried forward. "I-I'll have someone bring some extra bedding or something later."

The ease of mind Hitomi had almost started to feel in the presence of her friend vanished. The embarrassed expression she had seen on Millerna's face when the princess turned around brought back all her worries about what everyone would think about her love for Folken. It was those concerns that had kept her away from Asturia for so long, the desire not to face _this_.

Millerna was the one Hitomi had hoped would understand, after all the animosity and disapproval she suffered because of her own illicit love. But all Millerna seemed to notice was what was outside, that the former Strategos of Zaibach and the Girl from the Mystic Moon, two perfect opposites that had once stood against each other, could fall in love.

x-X-x-X-x-

"Maybe you were right," Hitomi said suddenly. "Maybe we shouldn't have come back yet."

Folken turned to her. Hitomi sat on a low-backed sofa before the fireplace with her head leaned against her left shoulder and her legs tucked beneath her, watching the fire burn. It was the first thing she said since Millerna showed them to their room. Her silence was making Folken concerned. It wasn't like Hitomi to be withdrawn like this.

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, you and me," she went on. "But then, I also thought Millerna would understand." Hitomi sighed despondently. "I should have known."

Folken left the window where he had been looking out over the sleeping city of Palas, and went to stand behind her. "What were you expecting?"

Hitomi hesitated. "I don't know. Something else. Something nicer." She shook her head. "I wasn't sure if anyone would really understand this at first, but I was sure Millerna would."

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "A couple minutes in the middle of the night is hardly adequate to be guessing what anyone else thinks," he pointed out.

Hitomi thought about this for a moment, watching the gentle glow of the fire burning in the hearth. "I'm sure you're right," she said after a while. "I guess I'm just being paranoid."

"Everything will be all right in the morning," Folken assured her. "You'll see."

She seemed to believe him, but Folken doubted his own words. He had been watching the people in the courtyard during that uncomfortable silence, and knew what they were thinking. They hadn't expected to see _him_ again, not after the way he 'kidnapped Hitomi and stole the Escaflowne'.

Folken sighed. He wanted nothing more to agree with Hitomi that returning to Asturia had been a mistake, and sneak away again like the last time. But Folken had watched Hitomi grow restless in the cottage on the border, and seeing her friends in Palas again was something she evidently craved.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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	4. Colorblind Days

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "This Life" song lyrics are property ofMandalay, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 4: Colorblind Days**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"You had to go spoil it all,  
I know you had to go,  
Now I find these endlessly,  
Colorblind days to fill,  
You never will,  
Take this life,  
Take it all in your hands,  
You were mine,  
I could smile,  
You understand, fine . . ."_  
-Mandalay, "This Life"

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The next morning dawned gray and overcast, a heavy layer of fog obscuring the harbor from view as a chill, late autumn breeze wafted through the waking city. Though the windows were closed, with heavy burgundy drapes drawn over them, the cold air somehow managed to seep into Hitomi's room. It worked its way around into the fireplace, between the legs of the end table and sofa before it, around soft chairs, and under a chestnut wardrobe. It billowed over the tapestries hanging on the walls, not quite strong enough to ruffle their thickly-woven fabric, until it crept beneath the heavy blankets piled atop the great four-poster bed, and sent a chill down Hitomi's spine. Half awake, she shivered and pulled the covers up to her chin.

Just as she was about to drift back into sleep, she heard a faint click as a doorknob turned open, allowing someone inside her room. The floorboards creaked under someone's weight as they tiptoed to her bedside, and called quietly, "Hitomi?"

Hitomi rolled over and saw a girl dressed all in white standing over her. "Celena?" she asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes and blinking. "Is that you?"

Celena smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's great to see you again," said Hitomi, yawning as she sat up. "But what are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to talk you."

Hitomi stretched her arms out, working out the stiffness of last night's sleep. "And you couldn't wait until breakfast?"

The smile faded from Celena's face.

Hitomi's eyebrows furrowed together a little in worry. "Is something wrong? You went kind of pale all of the sudden."

"I have to talk to you," Celena repeated hesitantly. "It's about Dilandau."

Hitomi didn't have to ask what she meant, or why she was talking about Dilandau. She knew their story. For the first week after the fall of the Zaibach empire, Celena had stayed in the decrepit farmhouse with Hitomi and Folken as she prepared to leave for Asturia to find her brother. In this time, Celena explained to them about her and Dilandau's secret with a promise that it would stay only between the four of them.

But had been when Celena thought Hitomi and Folken would never come back to Asturia, and they would never be in a situation where that promise could be broken.

"He's . . . he's really concerned about you being here. And about our safety." Looking guilty, as if she'd just spouted heresy, Celena turned away.

"Are you worried that Folken and I are going to tell everyone your secret now that we're back?"

Celena's cheeks turned red. "Dilandau does . . ." she mumbled. "I don't really . . . but Dilandau . . ."

It was obvious that she was lying, that she agreed with Dilandau on some level, even if she didn't want to believe it. "No, no, I understand," Hitomi assured her. "If I were in your position, I probably would have confronted me just the same. I know what it feels like when you really want to trust someone, but something keeps making you wary. It's hard to put aside those fears and give that person a chance to prove himself. But you have to do it. Throw caution to the wind."

"Huh?" Celena gave her a confused look.

"It's a saying back on Earth," Hitomi explained with a smile. "It means throw away all your worries and put everything into the moment."

Celena contemplated this for a moment, then smiled. "Dilandau says that sounds like good advice."

Hitomi laughed at the change of expression. On multiple occasions when Celena had lived on the border, Hitomi had watched her have a conversation with Dilandau, just like this. At first it had been strange to see Celena's expressions change without any prompting from things around her, but after a while, Hitomi hardly noticed it. Celena wasn't quite Celena without Dilandau. "That's his outlook on life, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Celena nodded. "He's always saying I should listen to my heart more instead of my head. I think if I did that, I'd probably end up in a lot of stupid messes."

"I have to agree with you there," said Hitomi. "You have to trust your own ideas, even if they conflict with what Dilandau thinks. He has his own reasoning. Sometimes you get into situations where you can't predict the outcome, and you really want it to end one way, but you don't know how to make it happen. He might tell you to do something that seems completely opposite of what you want to do. Whatever you choose to do might cause something good or something bad to happen, but you won't know until you make a choice. Dilandau's reason may be just as good as yours, but doesn't it make more sense to listen to yourself?"

Celena gaped at her.

Hitomi blushed. "Did I really say all that out loud?" she asked in disbelief, her hands covering her rosy cheeks. "Oh man, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be so long-winded."

"It's fine," Celena assured her, smiling. "Actually, it was really insightful."

Hitomi's blush deepened. "I think I completely missed the point, but all I meant to say is that you can trust us. We aren't going to tell anyone your secret."

"I believe you, and so does Dilandau," said Celena. "Well, as much as Dilandau believes anybody," she added. "Thanks for being so understanding."

Hitomi waved it off. "That's what friends are for."

Celena's smile vanished. "You consider me a friend?"

"Well, yeah."

"Huh." Celena sat down on the edge of the bed., her expression turning pensive. "I've never really had any friends before." She gave Hitomi a pitiable smile. "I think I'm a little too strange for that."

Hitomi got up on her knees and crawled beside Celena. "Hey, take a look at me. I'm way different from everyone else here on Gaea, but I still deserve to be happy."

"Have you always believed that?"

"To tell you the truth, no." Hitomi admitted. "Especially not after what happened on Millerna's wedding day."

Celena nodded in understanding. "Dilandau told me a little about that, and I heard the rest from Millerna and Allen."

"After that happened, I started thinking I really didn't belong on Gaea," Hitomi went on. "That I was too different and too dangerous with my powers to be more than a tool of destruction. But let me tell you, having someone who really believed in meeven when he knew what I was and what I could domade a huge difference."

Hitomi's gaze flickered over to where Folken was asleep on the sofa before the cold fireplace. He looked so gentle and harmless, contradicting everything she knew about his cold exterior nature. It made her wonder sometimes which was his true self; the open, gentle person he only revealed when they were alone together, or the closed, callous one she saw in the presence of anyone else.

"You really love him, don't you?" asked Celena.

Drawn from her reverie, Hitomi nodded. "That's what my heart tells me, and for once, my mind actually agrees with it."

"Have you ever done a reading for you two?"

"No."

"How come?"

Hitomi shrugged. "I don't really have any questions or doubts about us, so I don't see the need. Honestly, I don't _want_ to know if the cards say Folken is the right man for me or not. I mean, if they said he wasn't, I'd go crazy with that always on my mind, and it'd eventually ruin our relationship."

Celena smiled. "That's good logic. I don't think I would like it if the cards told me the man I was in love with wasn't the one I was meant to be with. I'd rather go through the relationship and decide that for myself. Sometimes, I don't agree with the things I read in the cards."

"Are you practicing?" Hitomi turned back to Celena with interest. Before Celena left for Asturia, Hitomi had given her the Tarot cards and taught her how to use them.

Celena nodded excitedly. "Yes, whenever I can. Dilandau hates it because it takes me so long to do a single reading. I always have to consult that old book you gave me with the cards' meanings. It takes hours."

"I know _exactly_ what you mean," Hitomi insisted. "When I first started learning to read the cards, I had to look up _every single one_ I turned over, and some more than once because I read the wrong meaning or forgot what it meant with the other cards."

"Yes, that's what happens to me." Celena gave her a pitiful look. "It gets easier, doesn't it?"

This made Hitomi laugh. "Oh yeah, a lot easier. Once you start to recognize some of the simpler cards and their meanings, the others will eventually start to fall into place. It takes a while, but with some time and _a lot_ of practice, you'll be an expert fortune teller."

"I'm glad. It's so much work, but I love being able to read the future. Even if I can't change my fate, at least I know what's coming." She smiled. "Though it does take me two or three hours to figure it out."

Hitomi stifled a giggle. "Did you read the cards yesterday to figure out that Folken and I were coming?"

"Actually, the night before, two nights ago. That took me a _really_ long time. I had to look up a few of the cards four times because I couldn't figure out what events they were referring to. After I figured out that the 'disaster' they were talking about was the attack on Palas rather than the fall of the empire, everything made a lot of sense."

Celena was smiling, but Hitomi looked a little worried. The purpose of Celena's reading had obviously been to find out about events in the future, but she seemed to be referring to Millerna's wedding day when she talked about the attack on Palas. Somewhere along the reading, Celena _must_ had misread the cards. It wasn't possible to read events of the past at the same time as events of the future. Either she hadn't actually read that Hitomi and Folken were coming back to Asturia and simply made a lucky guess, or else this attack on Palas the cards had foretold hadn't happened yet.

"Is something wrong, Hitomi?" asked Celena.

Hitomi shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm fine. Sorry about that, I was just thinking." She promptly put Celena's reading out of mind. She'd already resolved several times not to worry anymore about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future. She was going to live a normal, happy, fate-less life like everybody else. She wasn't going to let a simple misread fortune change that.

Hitomi and Celena talked for another hour as the sun rose up behind the Chatal Mountains east of the city. Eventually a maid knocked loudly on the door, waking Folken at last, and announced that breakfast would soon be ready.

x-X-x-X-x-

Unfortunately, conversation at breakfast was not nearly as comfortable and relaxed for Hitomi as her conversation with Celena earlier. It wasn't so much that there was an awkward silence like the night before, but it almost seemed as though everyone had something to say that they weren't willing to voice.

Allen was the first to speak after everyone was seated and the first course was served. He looked directly at Hitomi with a piercing stare that used to make her heart pound and her cheeks burn, and said, "So, Hitomi, tell us everything."

Hitomi blushed anyway, but more from the suddenness of such a direct question than his gaze. "Uh, that's kind of a lot," she said, smiling at the melon slices on her plate. "I don't really know where to start."

"Well, start at the beginning and work your way up to now," Allen suggested as if it were obvious, which it was. "And don't skip anything," he added with a wink.

Hitomi's blush deepened as she tried to guess what he might have meant by this statement. As she looked around, she could see all eyes were on her, alert and watching her expectantly, soon to be hanging on her every word. There was no getting out of this. "Well, I'm no storyteller, but I'll try."

Her story lasted through three courses, and most of the fourth when she was finally done. Everything came out tangled and discordant as she tried to put her experiences into some kind of logical order, and Hitomi found herself inserting a lot of facts into places they did not belong. It got easier after a while, once she shut out the faces around her and focused only on her story. Yet, even so deeply immersed, she still made a special effort to leave out most of the details about her budding relationship with Folken, which, toward the end, meant leaving out almost everything.

She wasn't exactly sure why she did it. After all, everyone probably already knew about it. Millerna wouldn't have kept such a big secret to herself for so long, no matter what. Whatever the reason, Hitomi's intuition insisted that there was something definitely wrong with this attraction, and that it should be kept hidden as best possible.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . . **

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	5. I Can't Make You Love Me

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "I Can't Make You Love Me" song lyrics are property of Bonnie Raitt, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 5: I Can't Make You Love Me**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't,  
You can't make your heart feel something it won't,  
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours,  
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power,  
But you won't, no you won't,  
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't . . ."_  
-Bonnie Raitt, "I Can't Make You Love Me"

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Van rubbed his temples with a deep, gloomy sigh, trying to hide his irritation from the two people in front of him. This was all Millarna's fault. It was her "great idea" to select _him_ to show Hitomi and Folken around Palas that day after breakfast. She couldn't have chosen Celena, who openly volunteered for the task, just because Allen insisted she had lessons. Gods forbid the knight could grant her one day off.

_What was the point of this excursion, anyway?_ Van asked himself bitterly. He sat on a wooden crate at the edge of the dock, leaning with his elbows against his knees. _It's not like Palas has changed that much since they left. Okay, so there was that one attack that they missed, and the city got even more damaged, but why did_ I_ have to be the one to explain about it?_ He groaned.

They stood at the edge of one of the port city's bustling wharfs, watching the activity while Van tried to come to grips with his thoughts. The ruins of Palas rose up before them beyond the hustle and bustle of the docks. What were once tall, majestic houses and shops crowded together on white cobblestone streets had been reduced only to a memory, replaced with crumbling desecration. People in tattered clothing camped out in the shelter of these ruins, struggling to stay out of the quickly-approaching winter chill. If they had anywhere else to go, Van knew they would have walked away from this life already, but Zaibach had destroyed everything they held dear. The only thing they retained since the end of the war was the flittering hope that someday everything would be good again.

Leviships hovered above the water's surface at the docks while crews loaded and unloaded cargo from the holds. Hitomi watched them in awe. Though faster and more economic than regular sea-faring vessels, leviships were an unpopular form of trade commerce. Even though they were unable to carry very heavy loads, for fear of being pulled down right out of the air, some merchants still preferred to ship their more prestigious wares by leviship, and attract attention doing it.

"Wow, look at that!"

Van looked up at where Hitomi was pointing. A massive leviship swooped in from the west, passing only a few yards above their heads as it rounded the wharf and landed with a triumphant splash in the water. The leviship bobbed up and down in the waves it had created like a painted cork, sporting green décor and the Egzardian crest.

Hitomi clapped her hands together with an astonished gasp. "That was amazing!"

Folken, who stood beside her with his arms crossed, was not so easily impressed. "It's only a leviship. You've seen plenty of them before."

"Yeah, but never like that," Hitomi protested, looking up at him. "Geez, spoil my fun, will you?" she huffed.

Hitomi didn't see, but Van noticed the traces of a smile appear on his brother's face, and served to make his foul mood only worsen.

_What am I still doing here? I did everything Millerna asked me to do._ Van folded his arms as well, not realizing how much he looked like Folken when he did this. _I can't believe she buys that act. How can she really think he won't betray her when a better opportunity comes along?_ The fact was solid in Van's mind. Folken's loyalty only held with the best cause. Just like he betrayed Fanelia to Zaibach, the former Strategos would eventually betray Hitomi for someone better(though Van couldn't think of anyone better than Hitomi.)

"Hey, Van!" Hitomi turned around. Van hurriedly uncrossed his arms. "Are you feeling any better? Do you want to go on?"

Van scowled. They'd stopped to admire the wharf because Van insisted on a rest. He hadn't wanted to stophe didn't want to appear weak to Hitomibut his left leg hurt so much after all the walking that morning that he simply couldn't take another step.

"I'm fine," he snapped. He stood up quickly, just to prove he could, but unfortunately, he couldn't. A sharp twinge of pain shot through his left leg, and he stumbled forward a few steps before he could regain his balance.

Hitomi's face filled with concern. "Oh my god, are you all right?"

Folken turned around as he heard these words, also looking a little worried, but didn't say anything. Van was grateful. He didn't need his no-good brother adding insult to injury when Van's pride had already been hurt enough.

"I'm fine," Van insisted firmly.

Hitomi didn't look like she believed him. "I saw you limping a little earlier. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

Van's scowl deepened. "I pulled a muscle the other daydoes it matter?" He let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I have things to do. Palas hasn't changed enough to keep you from getting back there without my help." With that he stormed away, trying vainly to keep his strides even.

x-X-x-X-x-

Hitomi watched him go with a flustered expression. "Geez, is he ever in a rotten mood. I was just worried about himis that so wrong?" She sighed. "You'd think the war would have gotten all the fighting out of his system, but he's just as bad as ever."

"You really thought a lot of fighting would improve his disposition?" asked Folken. "That's doesn't seem like Van. He's passionate about winning _every_ battle."

This made Hitomi laugh. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

She looked out past him toward the city at one of the canals that ran among the buildings, like a highway made of water. Several gondolas drifted along it, weaving people or items among the maze of waterways snaking through the large city. Hitomi sighed wistfully. Palas was the Gaean equivalent of Venice, Italy, one of the most romantic cities on Earth. Ever since seeing pictures of it in a world studies class in middle school, she'd longed to visit one day, and ride in a gondola through the splendor.

"Have you ever ridden in one of those?" Hitomi asked, pointed to the gondolas.

Folken looked. "A few times." He didn't sound nearly as interested in them as Hitomi hoped. She was beaming, watching the gondolas in fascination.

"I think it'd be amazing," she said, unable to take her eyes off them. "They can travel so fast through the water. Kind of like flying, you know?" She sighed. "I'd love to ride around Palas in one. You'd be able to see so much."

"You're too easily amused, Hitomi."

Hitomi stuck out her tongue at him, a juvenile gesture, she admitted, but it seemed somehow appropriate. "Well, you're just not amused enough."

Folken raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, give me a break. It didn't come out right," Hitomi huffed. "You know what I mean, don't you?"

Folken shook his head and looked at the sky, but Hitomi could tell he was entertained. "Let's move on, shall we?"

x-X-x-X-x-

Van leaned back against his door and let out a long, tired sigh. _Damn Millerna for making me do that. Damn her. She just has to make everything hard for me, doesn't she?_

He looked around the empty room, grateful for the solitude and seclusion from the rest of the world. Merle was out somewhere for the moment, the big goose-down pillow in the corner by the fire abandoned. Van straightened, wincing a little at a twinge in his leg. He scowled. He just wasn't a foot-soldiereveryone knew that. That was why someone a long time ago had created guymelefs, so that soldiers had more time to plan and execute moves. Fighting on the ground, your reflexes had to be lightening quick, or else enemies stuck you down before you had the chance to strike them. It was the golden rule of war.

Van walked toward his window and leaned against the sill. For some reason, the sight of the city made Hitomi's face flash into his mind. He leaned his forehead against the glass windowpanes. Millerna hadn't told him about Hitomi and Folken, and then the morning after he found out, she expected him to be able to deal with it. _She's just doing this to torture me for some reason. I probably pissed her off sometime, and now she's getting back at me._

So, what now? Was he simply supposed to live in denial of his feelings for Hitomi for the rest of his life? Was he supposed to tell her? Did he even have the right to tell her, and ruin her evident happiness?

Van glowered at the city outside. Even though Palas was a mess, it was still full of activity. In these last days of cool autumn weather, people were hurrying to prepare for a cold winter. It was a fruitless effort. The buildings around the palace were in such a state of disrepair that it would be impossible to make them stand against the cold with only the tattered rubbish left behind from the attack. Many of the people he could see now would probably die before the seasons turned to spring, cruel as the thought was.

There was a knock at the door, thankfully startling the young king out of his spiteful reverie. His heart sunk as he turned around to see Millerna open it to let herself inside. _Great, just the person I really need right now._

"Oh, you're back, I see," she said. She held the doorknob in her hands behind her back, leaning against it slightly. Then, realizing for the first time that she'd come inside uninvited, she blushed. "I'm sorry, I should have waited outside."

Van sighed and shook his head. Even if he was mad at her, he was a guest in her home, and he had to be nice to her if he didn't want to be thrown out. "No, that's okay."

Millerna looked slightly relieved, but her visage turned toward concern as she noticed his dour expression. "Would you like me to leave you alone?"

"I don't care." Van turned back to the window noncommittally, forcing Millerna to make the choice based on what she wanted to do, not what she thought Van wanted her to do.

Millerna chose to stay. "I wanted to apologize for making you show Hitomi and Folken around today. I should have known . . ." She hesitated, then said, "I guess I forgot about your leg."

Van shrugged. "It's only a sprain. It doesn't really hurt that bad anymore. It'll probably be fine in a week or so."

"That's good." Millerna paused for a second. Van could see out of the corner of his eye that she was staring at him, obviously searching for any signs of what he was thinking. Van tried to keep his expression blank, but he knew he was no good at it. Jealousy and despair were written all over his face, and Millerna knew could easily guess the reason.

He decided not to bother lying to her and denying it when she asked what was wrong. She probably already suspected that it was Hitomi. Everyone had figured out that Van loved her before he himself finally realized it. Well, everyone except Hitomi. Or did she know, and simply not care? Van tried not to think about that.

Instead, he decided to ask Millerna something that had been bothering him since the night before. "Did you know?"

Millerna looked confused. "Know what?"

"About Hitomi and Folken," he explained. "You didn't seem all that surprised last night."

"I got a letter from Hitomi a couple months ago. She explained all about it, and about what happened and why she left." Millerna looked away from him, her face flushing with guilt. "I guess I just . . . forgot to show it to you."

Van crossed his arms on the windowsill and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "You don't have to lie to me. I know why you didn't."

Millerna's face turned a little more red. "I'm sorry, Van. I know how you feel about her. Sometimes, these things just happen, and"

"You don't have to apologize for anything, either," Van interrupted. "It's not like there was anything you or I could do about it. Hitomi fell in love with who she wanted to fall in love with. I just need to come to grips with that and move on."

A look of astonishment took the place of Millerna's shame. Van knew these words probably sounded very strange coming from him, but they were the truth. While Hitomi was gone, he'd had a lot of time to think about what she meant to him. He'd been trying to forget the feelings he had for her, since he figured she'd gone back to the Mystic Moon after she killed Dornkirk. Somehow, never seeing her again was far easier to accept than suddenly finding out late one night that she was still on Gaea after all, and had fallen in love with someone else.

"That's a very mature way to look at it," Millerna said, startling Van. Just like she'd never thought him to be calm and rational about anything, he never thought her to be astute. "Say," she began on an afterthought. "I'm going to go for a walk in the gardens. Why don't you come with me?"

Van looked over at her, but didn't answer.

Millerna offered him a smile. "Come on, it'll take your mind off of things for a while."

He hesitated. His leg was still sore from walking all morning, and he wanted nothing more than to be alone for a little while to think. Besides, he didn't want to go anywhere he might run into Hitomi. Unless . . .

No, it was a crazy idea. Impossible. Van scowled at himself for even thinking it. There was no way Hitomi could possibly be in love with him. She was already in love with Folken . . . and yet, there had been times before she left Palas, times when she was with Van where he could swear she was thinking of him as more than a friend. She fell out of love with Allen, and moved on so quickly. Could she be trying show him she loved him, but didn't know how to say it?

Van tried to push the stupid hypothesis out of his mind, but for some reason, he couldn't let it go. It was completely irrational, and probably far from the truth, but it gave him at least a glimmer of hope. Right now, that was exactly what he needed to keep going. With this in mind, he agreed to go with Millerna. As he followed her out, he stopped doubting his crazy idea, thinking there was a chance Hitomi still felt something for him.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . . **

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	6. Flight of the Asturian Gossip Mill

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "I Can't Make You Love Me" song lyrics are property of Bonnie Raitt, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 6: Flight of the Asturian Gossip Mill**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"I'll close my eyes,  
Then I won't see,  
The love you don't feel,  
When you're holding me,  
Morning will come,  
And I'll do what's right,  
Just give me till then,  
To give up this fight . . ."_  
-Bonnie Raitt, "I Can't Make You Love Me"

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Gray clouds gathered overhead later that afternoon as Hitomi and Folken had left the wharf and walked through the gardens instead. The trees were slowly turning colors in preparation for the coming winter, their hues vibrant even in the dimming light. Red, orange, and golden leaves still clung determinedly to the branches, while other, less willful leaves, lay dying in piles at the trunks. They gave off a pleasant, not quite musty, but dry smell, one that was characteristically autumn.

"This place is so fascinating," said Hitomi as she looked around, waving one hand around her. "Every time I think I've figured out everything about it, something surprising always happens."

"What makes the changing seasons so interesting?" Folken asked. "The Mystic Moon goes through more than one season, doesn't it?"

"You know, I used to wonder that about Gaea, too." She laughed. "The summer is just _so long_, you'd think it was never going to end. That's pretty stupid, thoughthinking it wouldn't have winter just because it's a different planet." She looked up at Folken expecting comment, and found him just looking down at her with a small smile.

"What?" she asked. "I didn't mean to go off like that."

He shook his head. "I was just thinking about how beautiful you are."

Hitomi laughed again on self-conscious reflex. "What?"

Folken's smile widened. "Just like that."

"You don't mean that," she insisted, blushing a little.

"Of course I do. I don't mean that you _look_ beautiful, but that you _are_ beautiful. Any person can make themselves look beautiful, but they will always be ugly beneath the makeup. Inside, in your heart, where it matters most, you will always be radiant."

Hitomi's blush turned a bright red, and she shoved him playfully. "Stop it. You're embarrassing me." She looked around, searching for an out before her face too much resembled a cherry, and spotted it under a broad elm tree shedding the last of its leaves.

She darted off the path, wading through the leaves until she reached the trunk. Pressing one hand against it to keep her steady, she leaned back and gazed up through the layers of bare branches. They seemed to spread out from the trunk like a thousand dark wires spiraling up toward the cloudy sky.

"Wow, look at this! It's so cool," she said in awe. "I think I've seen a photograph of something like this before."

A gust of wind brushed past, ruffling her skirt and hair. "It's like a ladder, or something," she went on. "Like you could reach up and climb into heaven. Wouldn't that be something?" A drop of rain struck her nose. "You just have to make sure you pick a day when there isn't stuff falling down out of the sky on"

At that moment, a pile of dry leaves appeared in the sky above Hitomi's face, and dropped onto her head. She shrieked and stumbled away from the tree, brushing at her hair. Deep laughter erupted behind her, and Hitomi whirled around to see Folken tryingand failing miserablyto hold in his amusement at the scene. She put her hands on her hips indignantly.

"Yeah, I suppose there _are_ a lot of leaves around here, aren't there?" she asked sarcastically. "We really _should_ do something with them." She grabbed a handful of leaves, and before Folken could react, reached up and tossed them in his hair. "What do you think?"

He was laughing too hard to dodge Hitomi's second attack, but as she was gathering a third, he retaliated with his own.

"Wonderful idea. We can make an even bigger mess," said Folken, but he didn't seem to care.

Hitomi shot him a menacing glare as another rain of crumpled leaf bits tumbled over her head. "What's that supposed to mean? Who's the one making all the trouble?"

Hitomi heaved her handful at him, and the wind picked up behind her at just the right moment to blow the scattered leaves into his face. She giggled, letting loose another cluster of dusty leaves, but instead of waiting for them to hit him this time, Folken lunged forward and grabbed her. Holding the collar of her shirt so she couldn't escape, he rubbed a handful of matching leaves into her golden brown hair.

"I would say you are," Folken said slightly out of breath, finally answering her question. He was still smiling, and as he loosed his hold on her collar, their lips met.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and sank to the ground, pulling him with her. He pushed her down into the soft bed of leaves that blanketed the grass around the elm, and they paused for breath. Her heart was pounding, and she had no doubt that he could hear it. Hitomi kissed him again, more passionately this time, pulling him closer. Folken almost seemed hesitant, but didn't break away.

That is, until a voice called their names.

Hitomi opened her eyes, and her stomach wound itself into a great, nervous knot when she saw Millerna and Van standing out on the path. Reality returned with a sickening jolt.

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Merle ran down the palace halls as if possessed by a demon enraged. She had just the _juiciest_ little tidbit of gossip, and absolutely no one to tell it to. If she didn't tell someone about it soon, she was going to burst. So distracted by this thought, Merle scampered around a corner and crashed headlong into Celena, knocking her off her feet.

"Oww . . ." the delicate blonde moaned as she sat up. She opened her eyes and gave Merle and indignant but teasing look. "Try to watch where you're running, Merle."

Merle nodded hurriedly. "Yeah, sorry." She got up, and was just about to hurry off again when she realized that Celena probably wasn't all too exposed to the Asturian gossip mill. She spun around and crouched next to Celena again. "Ooooh, Celena, you're never going to guess what Lord Van just told me!"

In her anticipation, Merle failed to notice the look of impatience that crossed her face as Celena rolled her eyes, then shook her head and asked politely, "What did he say?"

"Lord Van and Princess Millerna were out in the gardens, and they found Hitomi and Folken there," the cat-girl said excitedly.

"Yeah, so?" asked Celena blankly.

Figuring Celena hadn't picked up on her subtle implications, Merle decided to be more blunt. "Kissing."

Celena looked just as interested as ever.

A crestfallen expression clouded Merle's grinning visage. "They're a couple . . ." she prompted, expecting a response. She raised an eyebrow and stared at Celena skeptically. "Are you getting where I'm going with this?"

Suddenly, Celena smiled.

_About time the light went on,_ Merle thought. _This girl's actually weirder than Hitomi._

"Oh, I already knew that," Celena explained. "Hitomi and Folken being a couple."

It was Merle's turn to look confused.

"I was with them two months ago after the fall of the empire," the young woman continued. "Hitomi found me in the wreckage of the capitol, and I stayed with them for a week or so before I decided to come back here." She giggled. "It was pretty obvious that they were in love, even though I don't think either of them actually admitted it until after I was gone."

"Uh huh . . ." said Merle slowly, in a voice that meant she was listening, but really didn't care. "Well, I guess I'll see you later." She leapt up and scampered off down the hall again at full speed, still eager to find someone that didn't know about her little secret that was turning out to be not much of a secret after all.

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Celena got to her feet and brushed herself off as Merle dashed away. She could tell her actions had definitely disturbed the little cat-girl, but this didn't come as much of a surprise. Her idiosyncrasies tended to have that effect on people.

/./My gods, could she _be_ any more oblivious/./ There was a self-satisfied smirk to Dilandau's words.

/You tell me./

/./I thought that was old news. Millerna told everybody after the letter././

/Yeah./

/./Noncommittal today, are we/./ Dilandau asked, his interest piqued.

/I'm just worried./

/./About the knight/./

/Of course. Things just keep getting worse out there./

There had been a brawl in the streets near the palace that afternoon between some of the palace guards, and a few rebellious citizens who were well-known to cause trouble. A few members of the Knights Caeli-Allen among them-had been sent to calm it down. Even though the fight was nothing compared to the real battles the Knights faced, Celena still worried that her brother would be hurt. It was only natural.

Dilandau snorted. /./Heh, it's sad to see the great "Heavenly Knight" reduced to stopping regular old domestic disturbances. How very unimpressive././

/Oh, stop it./

/./Come on, Celena. You know nothing's going to happen././ Dilandau assured her. /./Besides, if someone _does_ knock him off, there'll be no one to force you to learn all those stupid etiquette lessons././ He made a gagging sound.

Celena giggled, feeling a little more lighthearted. /That's true. But I still pray he's all right./

/./Unfortunately, the knight's hard to kill. Believe me, I've tried././ Dilandau suddenly remembered something. /./Hey, isn't Millerna expecting you in the banquet hall/./

His words suddenly reminded Celena of her purpose for wandering around the palace halls. /Oh, no! I'm supposed to help her set up for the celebration tonight/ Her fears for Allen's safety temporarily were temporarily set aside by thoughts of flower arrangements and hanging decorations. Celena dashed off in the opposite direction Merle had taken toward the Great Hall.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . . **

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	7. A PostRoman Culture Clash

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Love Song" song lyrics are property of 311, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 7: A Post-Roman Culture Clash**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"Whenever I'm alone with you,  
You make me feel like I am home again,  
Whenever I'm alone with you,  
You make me feel like I am whole again . . ."_  
-311, "Love Song"

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The Great Hall was in all stages of disarray when Celena arrived. Millerna stood on a footstool in the center of the room directing the activities of two dozen servants, who scurried like ants in a mad dash to have everything set up in the next few short hours. Even though it was early in Blue, equivalent of mid November on Earth, the windows were propped open to let out the heat of the heavy labor.

Strung up around the windowpanes were stylish garlands in crimson and gold. Bouquets of broad, dried leaves and late-blooming flowers festooned every open space, along with banners painted with red writing drawn across the Hall beneath the high domed ceiling.

Unfortunately, at the present stage of setup, this beauty was only partially impressive. Servants perched precariously on ladders trying to hang banners, shrieking and wobbling as they shouted across the room to their counterparts about lopsided corners. The air was filled with ceaseless argument as too many people tried to express their decorative opinions at once. Though she thought she was speeding the process along, Millerna's direction only served to make matters more aggravating.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Millerna shouted. "We've got days of work to do in only a few hours, so let's get going!"

/./There's no way I'm going to be able to stand this././ Dilandau moaned. /./We've only been in here for two minutes, and I already want to shove one of those stupid garlands down Millerna's throat././

/Oh, come on, it won't be that bad./ Celena tried to assure him, but she wasn't too sure of this herself.

"Hey, you!" Millerna turned the spotlight to one wayward maid spreading a tablecloth over a small rectangular table with ten chairs around it. Several such tables stood around the Great Hall in place of the usual long central table. All the tables were set up in one section of the Hall, with the other part empty. A bunch of scullery maids bent over the blue marble floor on their hands and knees, scrubbing madly to make it shine like glass.

"Where'd you get those tablecloths?" Millerna demanded, stepping down from her little podium to confront her wrongdoer face-to-face.

"The l-laundry, Your Highness," answered the maid, bowing low enough for her long braid to sweep the floor. "They told me to set them up out here."

"They were supposed to be dyed red before they came out!" Millerna insisted. "These aren't red, they're gold! How can you confuse _gold_ with _red_? They're two completely different colors!"

"I beg y-your pardon, Your Majesty." The maid kept her head down for fear of what horrors she might see in the princess's face if she looked up. "I can't imagine how the request was mistaken b-badly. I'll take them away immediately." She started to fold up the offensive tablecloth, but Millerna stopped her.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. They probably don't have any red ones down in the laundry, do they?" the princess asked with a sigh.

"I wouldn't know," said the maid politely. "I can go check if that is Your Majesty's wish."

"No, forget about it." Millerna waved away the offer with her right hand. "Just set these up and make sure they're decorated with lots of reds, understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness." The maid dipped farther forward in her bow, and fluffed out the gold tablecloth once more.

As Millerna was walking away to retake her footstool, Celena took the moment to make herself noticed, and walked into the Hall toward the princess.

"Celena!" Millerna called, brightening considerably as she spotted her. "Thank Jichia you finally arrived," she said as Celena reached her. "Things are really crazy around here, if you can't tell." She gave a pitiable smile.

Celena looked around again. "It all looks so amazing, though. You really put all this together today? Plans and everything?"

"No, nothing like that," Millerna laughed. "Since last night."

Celena waited for Millerna to laugh again, but the princess was serious. "How?" Celena managed through her shock. "That's impossible."

"I have my connections, you know." Millerna winked. "I suppose there are a few perks to being a princess: like being able to organize an entire banquet of honor in only a day. Anything I needed was brought to me without delay."

/./Spoiled brat././

/Hush/

"That's great," said Celena with a smile. "But no one's told me yet what all this is for. What happened in the last day that's so important that you have to throw a party?"

"Hitomi's returned!" Millerna declared. "Don't you know what that means? We'll finally be able to rebuild this country."

Celena gave the princess a blank look. "I don't think I understand. What can Hitomi do to change things that everything else we've done can't?"

"Do you remember what she told us this morning about how she brought down the empire? About how she could call all those souls from death and get them to obey her will? They destroyed the Atlantis Machine and brought down the emperor's fortress because Hitomi told them to."

/./Unbelievable././ said Dilandau. /./She's actually going to try to make Hitomi change fate, or do whatever freaky thing it is she does to things better././

Celena's blank look turned skeptical. "I still don't see what Hitomi's powers have to do with the relief effort. But then again," she added, "I might just be missing something."

"She could motivate more people to volunteer to save on costs. Rebuilding is already terribly under-funded as is, without paying wages to the workers. At this rate, nothing's getting done." Millerna noticed Celena's appalled look, and hastily changed the subject. "It's not a big deal right now. Let's get back to work, okay?"

"Okay." Celena nodded with a smile, and forced her mind to focus on other topics. Politics and civil relations were concerns for kings and cabinet members, not ladies of society, as Allen had stressed to her time and again. She had to occupy herself by doing things a young lady of her status should do, such as interior decorating.

"Now then." Millerna folded her arms across her chest and tapped one finger contemplatively against her chin, gazing around the Great Hall. "I think the best thing for you to do is help set up the centerpiece arrangements on each of the tables. You should find all the materials at the other end of the Hall, along with some women making them. Is that all right?"

"Of course. I'm more than happy to help."

Millerna beamed. "Thank you, I really appreciate your help." Satisfied, she left Celena to her own devices, and swept down the Hall to chastise some errant scullery maids.

/./That woman is just annoying././

Celena could hear the disdain in Dilandau's words, but ignored it as she headed toward the place Millerna had indicated. The happenings around herthe bright sounds, smells, and colors of a great social gala in the makingwere much more interesting than his contemptuous commentary. /Come on, lighten up. This is going to be fun/

/./Fun? Heh . . . right. You just keep selling yourself that lie, Celena. I think I'll try to tune this one out. This could just be the most boring experience I've had yet. And you know, with those etiquette lessons, that's saying something././

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After the 'excitement' of that afternoon, Hitomi had decided to return to her room, and stay out of everyone's way. The palace was in an uproar when she and Folken reached it later that afternoon, and the last thing they'd need was her getting in the way. Besides, she really, _really_ didn't want to run into Van. The thought of coming face to face with him again painted bright shame across her cheeks and pulled her stomach into a nervous knot.

A fire crackled in the hearth, hissing a little as it burned through a log still moist on the inside. Hitomi watched the flames dance merrily, and found herself reminded of Christmastime at home on Earth. There wasn't a real fireplace in the Kanzaki household, but she and her little brother, Mamoru, had watched enough Christmas specials on TV while curled up on the couch to knowa warm fireplace adorned with long stockings was one of those things that was a Christmas tradition.

_This is going to be my first Christmas away from home,_ Hitomi thought. She gazed wistfully around the room at how dreary and un-festive it looked._ I wonder if they even celebrate Christmas here in Asturia. Probably not. I suppose I could celebrate it myself, but there wouldn't be much point. I don't even know what day Christmas would fall on here._

She sighed. Folken once tried to explain the Gaean calendar system to her, but Hitomi still struggled with it. Blue was the month that signified the change of seasons from fall into winter, which was probably the same month as November. Black was about the Gaean equivalent of December. That much made sense, but converting days from an Earth calendar to a Gaean one remained a challenge. Each Gaean month had thirty moonsthirty days. Hitomi had tried to figure out when her birthday would be, but December ninth probably didn't convert to Black, Ninth Moon.

"I don't think I understand this," said Folken. His voice so startled Hitomi that she had to take a minute to realize he couldn't possibly be commenting on her dilemma of months.

They sat together on a small sofa before the fire, curled up under a thick blanket against the evening chill. Folken was reading one of Hitomi's schoolbooks, a dull, heavy text covering the classic era of world history, and appeared particularly immersed in it. At first, Hitomi wondered how he could read it, since the book was not only intensely boring, but written in Japanese, not regular Gaean script. After a while, she chalked it up to be something he learned while living in Zaibach, however unlikely that seemed.

"What?" She turned away from the fire and nestled closer to him, leaning against his shoulder to read the page he was on.

"Earlier in this book, it said that the classical Greek and Roman ideals were eradicated when the Roman Empire fell and the Dark Ages began," Folken explained. "But when the Renaissance began a few hundred years later, scholars suddenly resurrected the classic ideals again. This doesn't make any sense. A society that was growing so well through the Roman era should have maintained its growth through the Dark Ages, even with the fall of Caesar. If the Romans were so educated, how did they fall into an economic slump?"

"It's kind of hard to explain." The helpless look on his face made Hitomi giggle. "Why are you so interested in Earth history, anyway? It's really not that fascination."

"Of course it is," Folken argued. "The countries and cultures on Earth are a lot like the ones on Gaea, and yet the two worlds have developed in completely separate directions. For example"

Hitomi held up her hands, laughing. "Okay, okay, I get it." She shook her head, mumbling to herself, "Spoken like a true nerd."

Folken glared at her, and Hitomi was sure he probably heard what she said, but he didn't comment. He was about to return to his book when she decided to answer his question.

"All right, I'll explain," she said, fighting to keep another fit of giggles at bay. "Yukari asked me the same thing right before we were supposed to take our midterm exam on this section, so I'll tell you what I told her.

"The classical ideals are a lot like a hot fashion item, like flared pants. For a while, everyone loved them and wanted to buy them, but then there was this lull where everyone thought flared pants were really lame. So they were lame for a while, and then everything 'old school' suddenly became cool, and naturally, flared pants came back in."

The helpless look on Folken's face heightened, turning downright pathetic. "Are you sure you don't have a textbook on modern Earth slang in that bag?" he asked. "It would be most helpful right now."

"Sorry," Hitomi apologized, trying to hide her laughter. "Sometimes the only way to get Yukari to understand something complicated is to explain it through pop culture references."

"That's the _last_ thing I need," he mumbled.

"Okay, let me try again. I'll be serious this time." Hitomi took a deep breath, composed herself, and started over. "The Greeks and Romans were going the right way with their advanced ideals and government, but when the Roman Empire fell, it split into a whole bunch of independent kingdoms, each ruled by a new king. The only things these kings wanted were people to serve them who would expand their territories and never rebel. To accomplish this, the people couldn't know that there was a better way of life, so the kings abolished education. Roman ideals went out of style just like flared pants."

"But wouldn't the people of the Dark Ages stay in this uneducated rut created by the kings forever?" asked Folken. "How would they figure out that they were being oppressed if they didn't know what life could be like outside oppression?"

"Well, that's the thingthey didn't. All the kingdoms had problems with uprisings because the commoners blindly believed there _had_ to be a better way to live, even though they didn't know what that way was. Rebellions were a major issue in the Dark Ages. I guess the Renaissance was its own big rebellion. It was really a whole bunch of monks and scholars going against the laws of the kingdom and trying to educate the populace. That's what brought the flared pants back into style. Make sense."

Folken nodded, but he wasn't done. "That's another thing I noticed. How is it that people connected to the Church were able to learn to read and study, even though the laws of the kingdom forbade it?"

"Uh, that's a tough one. I guess they don't have monasteries on Gaea." Hitomi sat back and ran her fingers through her hair, something she often did when she was studying. "Basically" A loud knock at the door kept her from going any further. Hitomi and Folken turned around as Hitomi shouted, "Come in!"

The door opened, and someone Hitomi never would have expected enteredAllen.

The knight bent forward in a deep, respectful bow, and Hitomi held her breath, waiting for him to speak. Her body went rigid. What was he doing here? A million thoughts and memories of Allen shoved aside thoughts of classic Roman ideas, searching their content for some reason why he had come to her room. Fortunately, she wasn't left in suspense for long. As he straightened, Allen spoke.

"Hitomi, it's good to see you again," he said. "I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you alone after breakfast, but you left so quickly." He met her eyes, looking serious. "I wanted to tell you . . ."

Hitomi took a shaky breath, waiting for him to continue. It was nothing newwhenever she was in Allen's presence, she always had to remind herself to breathe.

Allen saw her unease and smiled, trying to reassure her. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for the things I said to you the day you left. I know it was a long time ago, and you've probably forgotten about it, but I haven't. I haven't forgotten anything you've done for me."

Hitomi's worry increased, along with the blush in her cheeks as she got to her feet and walked around the sofa to face him. What was he _saying_? There was no way he was still in love with her after three months. Allen _always_ moved on right after a relationship ended. He wouldn't just sit around waiting for her to return . . . would he?

"I don't mean romantically, Hitomi," Allen continued. "I can tell by the look on your face that you think I'm here to tell you I love you. I _do _love you, Hitomi, but more as the little sister I had lost for a long time. Even though Celena's back nowand I thank you for thatI still hold you in that respect." Suddenly, he smiled in his debonair way. "Although, if you're looking for more, I'll be willing to oblige." He winked.

Hitomi's blush turned downright crimson, and the room went silent. Allen admitted that he wasn't actually in love with her? Hitomi turned to look at Folken, to see what he thought of this, but his mask visage had gone up, and it was impossible to tell his thoughts.

"Um, thanks, and you're welcome . . . I guess," Hitomi finally said, turning back to Allen. "I'm glad you can be happy together. And about us, well"

Allen laughed, waving off her muddled response. "I'm glad to have your support, Hitomi, and that's all I need. But the real reason I'm here is to inform you that there is a banquet being held in your honor tonight, and Princess Millerna asked me to escort you to her room to be fitted for a dress."

"B-banquet?" stammered Hitomi. Two surprises at once was just too much. "For me? Why?"

"If there were more time, I would explain, but I'm afraid we're running behind schedule, and you'll have to come with me right now. Someone will fill you in later." Allen reached out and took her hand, leading her through the open door. Hitomi cast a pleading look back at Folken, but he shrugged, obviously just as confused as she. Without any other choice, Hitomi let Allen drag her away.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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	8. Love Song

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Love Song" song lyrics are property of 311, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken" -_Chapter 8: Love Song**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"However far away,  
I will always love you,  
However long I stay,  
I will always love you,  
Whatever words I say,  
I will always love you,  
I will always love you . . ."_  
-311, "Love Song"

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As her former love led Hitomi away, and the bedroom door closed behind them, Folken let down his masked visage with a heavy sigh. The only thing that could have made this horrible day worse was if Allen showed up, and made known his utter disregard for their relationship. No doubt the aforementioned "Heavenly Knight" would see fit to tell Hitomi about his evident disdain for her new love. It was only written all over his expression at the sight of Folken with her the night they arrived in Palas.

At least Allen made an attempt to hide his contempt, though. Van wasn't at all hesitant to express what _he_ thought. It was painfully obvious how infatuated Van was with Hitomi.

Folken pushed the blanket off his lap and stood, running his fingers through his hair with another sigh. It wasn't just infatuation. Van _loved_ her, and it showed vividly in his every jealous action. Gods, how Folken hated the thought, that he and his brother could be in love with the same girl.

They had more than enough problems between each other, without throwing in Hitomi. Van still held onto his distrust for Folken like a stubborn child, refusing to believe his brother had changed. It came as no surprise to Folken, though, who had expected it. He knew it would take a long time to regain Van's trust, especially after "kidnapping Hitomi and stealing the Escaflowne," as everyone in Asturia claimed.

But, now this? How would he apologize to Van for falling in love with the girl his little brother loved? Folken couldn't help feeling a little ashamed. Even before leaving Asturia, he knew Van was falling in love with Hitomi, though Van would never admit it. Hitomi seemed to be falling for Van as well. Fate was making it clear that they were to find happiness _together_, not in the arms of others.

Folken knew this. He knew it wasn't his fate to be with Hitomi, or hers to be with him. He'd struggled to keep his emotions in check, and even tried to leave her just to escape them. If it meant Van's happiness and forgiveness, Folken would have given her up. But not now, not after learning how _she_ felt. Not after he'd finally learned how to love. There had to be some other way to regain Van's trust.

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Van lay on his bed with his eyes closed and one arm draped over them. His leg ached like nothing he'd ever suffered before, and the only thing he could think about was the sight of Hitomi and Folken in the garden, and the expressions on their faces as they met his. He squinted his eyes and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, as if trying to rub the image out of his memory. It was hopeless.

"Lord Van, you're back!" Van looked up to see Merle bound through the open door, beaming with excitement. In three enthusiastic leaps, she threw herself over his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Van doubled up and coughed.

"Hello, Merle," he answered when he regained his breath, failing to show any interest in her presence. All he wanted was to be left alone in his lament.

Merle looked up at him, crestfallen. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Van laid back again and closed his eyes.

"How come you're just sitting here? Aren't you going to the banquet?"

Van opened his eyes again. "What banquet?"

Noting the spark of interest, Merle perked up and smiled. "The banquet Millerna planned for Hitomi's welcome-home tonight!" She sat back on her knees, bouncing up and down on the bed. "Aren't you going, Lord Van?"

Van sat up, the prospect of seeing Hitomi again suddenly making him forget everything else. For some reason, he felt a little light of hope rising up inside him, as if he was getting a second chance to win her heart. "Yes, actually."

"Really? You're okay?" she asked with a shocked expression that clearly wondered, 'Even with what happened today?'

Van noticed this in her expression, but didn't address it. "I'm not really that tired," he said, answering the intended question. He ignored her rather blunt hint.

Merle looked concerned. "Isn't your leg bothering you after all that walking?"

Van somehow managed not to wince as she reminded him of the throbbing ache. "It feels fine," he lied. "Besides, it's almost healed, and it's probably better that I start walking around on it more anyway."

Merle's expression didn't change as he got off the bed and headed toward the wardrobe. Since he'd become a semi-permanent resident at the palace, the palace seamstress felt obliged to sew him some formal wear for any important dinners he was to intend. He was, after all, the King of Fanelia, whether or not he had a country at the moment, and a King needed to look the part if he wanted to be taken seriously.

"Are you sure you want to go?" the cat-girl asked as he dug through the wardrobe looking for a particular violet robe with silver trim. "Even though Hitomi's going to be there?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I want to go?" Van asked, not looking up. "Why are you so down? A minute ago you were excited about this."

"Well, I just don't want you to get disappointed," Merle admitted. "You're trying to pretend like what happened this afternoon never really happened, and that's wrong. I know you love her, Lord Van, but it doesn't look like she feels the same way about you, and I just don't want to see you get hurt!" Her words ended on a note of urgency, and Van turned around.

"Merle, don't worry so much," he said. "I'm sure everything will turn out okay. I'm just going to tell her how feel and then let her make the decision."

Merle didn't argue with him, but as Van turned back to the wardrobe, she allowed her skepticism to show on her usually mischievous face.

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While Millerna's ladies-in-waiting fussed over Hitomi, and Van searched for the rest of his formal wear, the rest of the palace was in an uproar making the final preparations for that night's celebration. The kitchens were bursting with shouting and confusion as the cooks and scullery maids hurried to make the vast quantities of the six courses set to be served later for dinner.

The Great Hall was still a mess, with snippets of decorations from each of the three different themes Millerna wanted to use before changing her mind cluttering different areas. People hurried in and out between the palace and the shops around it that supplied the goods, making sure the last details were in order.

In all the chaos and confusion, it was easy for a few workers to sneak away without anyone being missed. They met under a tall, shady oak just outside the palace walls that still clung determinedly to its dying leaves. Here, though they were in plain sight of anyone who passed by, a small resistance could meet without risk of being disturbed.

A tall, solidly-built man looked over the small group, dressed in a heavy reddish tunic, dark leggings, tall boots, and a thick ebony cloak. Under his unkempt black hair, stern black eyes glared out at the group, measuring them up and down in the fashion of a military general rating the chances of his troops' success in an upcoming battle.

"All right, everyone here?" he asked in a commanding voice. "Good. So, how are things looking for tonight?" He looked down at a nervous, stick-thin man dressed in blue serving man's livery sitting cross-legged in the grass. He was constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was going out of their way to see what the group under the tree was doing.

"I'm taking charge of all the entryways on the western side of the palace, so you should have no trouble coming in from over there," said the thin man. "The guards come by to check on things every fifteen minutes, so make sure you time things."

The tall man nodded. "What's the word with the troupe?"

A bored-looking woman looked up at him, dressed in a decorative maroon minstrel's costume that distracted the eye from her uninteresting features. A finely-crafted flute in a leather case sat at her feet. "Just wait for our signal, Sansom."

Sansom nodded again, his dark eyes darting among the faces of the minstrels from one to another, as if judging them in their devotion to his cause. "Don't even think about letting me down. This time, we're going to _make_ Aston listen to our demands."

"Sansom," called a quiet voice that had just discreetly joined the group from the road. A hooded man dressed all in black with a shaggy salt-and-pepper beard knelt by the leader. "Everyone's making their way inside the palace walls with the supplies we'll need for tonight. Everything should be set up within the hour."

"Ah, Moore, it's about time. The supplies arrived all right?"

"We picked them up at the landing field about an hour ago. Lord Dryden's men shipped them out this afternoon after trading for them someplace right on the Cesario border. It never fails to amaze me how that man can be so far from Palas and still hear about everything that happens here before we do."

"Doesn't surprise me," said Sansom. "With his father on the high council, it's only natural that he'd be the first to know things."

Moore shrugged noncommittally. "Anyway, it's all thanks to his generous funding that we're able to go through with this. Though I think he's wondering why we haven't gotten King Aston to listen to us yet."

Sansom scowled. "Aston's a fat old asshole. He's too busy swimming through his piles of gidaru to notice anything else."

"That's what this little "scene" is for, isn't it? To get the King to notice us?"

"Yeah." Sansom folded his arms across his chest like a smug Buddha. "That, and to let the Lady Hitomi know we exist. Maybe she'll be willing to help us out, be like our guiding goddess. She is, after all, the savior of Gaea."

"Tell me again why she would care about our little rebellion?" asked Moore, feigning interest.

"Because she's a kind-hearted woman who wishes for peace, and the only way for there to be peace in Asturia is if Aston heeds our demands."

Moore rolled his eyes. "You listen to too much of your wife's gossip, Sansom. How do you know this Lady Hitomi is anything like you say?"

Sansom scowled. "Does it matter? If everything goes according to plan, we won't even need her."

"Whatever you say," said Moore, seizing the lull in conversation to change topic. "As far as plans go, everything is in order."

"Excellent." Sansom smiled and clapped his comrade on the back. "You're a great second-in-command, Moore."

"Thanks," said Moore insincerely, not smiling. Tonight was strictly businessno humane gestures allowed, nothing that could possibly jeopardize their plans. Sansom didn't seem to realize the gravity of their task. If they failed tonight, that was it. Their resistance was over. "So, how do we know when to make our move?"

"The troupe will signal you," Sansom informed him, nodding toward the maroon colored players. "Have a few people covering the windows. Everyone else should be split into two forces that will storm through the doors opening to the Great Hall on either side. When you hear 'Waltz of the Atlantis Borne', come right in."

Moore nodded grimly, adjusting his cloak in a self-conscious manner and looking around again, obviously suspicious and distrusting of the traveling minstrels. How could Sansom be so sure that they would do as they promised? They didn't live in Palasthey probably didn't empathize with the Asturian people's quarrels with their government. But if Sansom trusted them, who was Moore to disagree?

Moore got up without a word and headed back to the palace to check on preparation, trying to ignore the knot of anxiety that sat in the pit of his stomach. It grew bigger with every minute ticking away toward the celebration for the heroic return of the Girl from the Mystic Moon.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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	9. Dare You To Move

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Dare You To Move" song lyrics are property of Switchfoot, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ -— Chapter 9: Dare You To Move**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"Maybe redemption has stories to tell,  
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell,  
Where can you run to escape from yourself?  
Where you gonna go?  
Where you gonna go?  
Salvation is here . . ."_  
-Switchfoot, "Dare You To Move"

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For all the parties concerned with the banquet that evening, everything went smoothly for the first few hours. Millerna had paid a well-known band of traveling minstrels to serenade the guests as they were served delicacies from a variety of countries near and far that traded with profitable Asturian merchants. Hitomi sat at a table filled with familiar faces, and several she didn't know but figured were somehow connected to the royal court.

After the meal was finished and the dishes cleared away, Millerna, who was the self-appointed hostess of the event and director of all the activities, announced that it was time for dance. The guests gladly broke off into couples and spun together around the open half of the Great Hall.

Hitomi watched the dancers for a moment, then looked down at her dress, a stunning deep crimson piece with a scooped, off-the-shoulder neckline with long sleeves and sprinkled with tiny sparkling gemstones. The fitted bodice spread out into thick layers of heavy red velvet embroidered along the hem with diamonds to look like a gentle dusting of snow. A small diamond necklace on a thin chain replaced her pendant for the night, and a hairpiece studded with diamonds and rubies held up the hair over her left ear.

As the first song ended, Hitomi considered pulling Folken, who was dressed in exquisitely cut black finery, away from the table to dance. She was eager to get away from the stiff, formal dinner talk, but of course, every time she tried politely to get away, someone asked her another question, forcing her to sit through another long discussion. To her dismay, the same thing happened this time just as she was reaching under the table to take Folken's hand and drag him away.

"So, Hitomi," said a young brunette seated beside Millerna, obviously one of the princess's many friends. "What was it like living in Egzardia? I've heard it's lovely there, but I've never been."

Hitomi tried not to sigh in frustration. "I was only there for a few weeks, so I couldn't tell you if you should live there or not."

"I heard the people there are absolutely dreadful," a raven-haired girl beside the brunette commented. "There are crimes and uprisings all the time."

"I don't think that's completely true," said Hitomi somewhat defensively. "Tenue is a lot like Palas, just without the ocean."

The young women looked thoughtful, and Hitomi went back to wishing for an escape. Then Van decided to speak. "Egzardia isn't anything like Asturia, except maybe in trade. Egzardia's government and stability are far ahead of Asturia's."

This comment caught Hitomi's attention for the first time that night. "What do you mean?"

For some reason, no one was willing to answer her question. She looked from Van to Millerna to Princess Eries, but all their faces were set with the same grim expressions that only served to confuse her more. There was obviously something in Van's words alluding to something important that no one had filled Hitomi in on yet. Off-handedly, she wondered just how much had happened in the last two months that she needed to catch up on.

"I'll tell you," Eries suddenly said, breaking the tense silence at the table. She leaned forward at the far end of the table to see around people and get a better view of Hitomi. "It all has to do with the little 'uprisings' we've been having since the war began. The people of Asturia haven't been too happy with King Aston since Zaibach attacked the country after Rampant."

"Van told me a little about that this afternoon, but he didn't give me all the details," said Hitomi, casting a look over at him that met with no reaction.

"Well, the first attack was about three days after you left, on a border village not far from Rampant," Eries began. "After the first battle, it was as if the entire Zaibach army came down from the north and started wreaking havoc on everything in its path as it made it's way toward Palas. Apparently, Zaibach figured out that Palas was acting as the base of operations for the Alliance, and decided to take us out with one decisive strike."

"Then that was why there weren't many soldiers in the Zaibach capitol when we were first there," said Folken suddenly. He turned to Hitomi. "It all fits. That's why we were able to walk around so freely."

"So 'freely' that we got thrown in prison," Hitomi pointed out.

"If the Alliance had any forces left, they would have come to your aid," Eries continued, a regretful tone coming to her voice. "Unfortunately, most of them were regrouping from the Rampant massacre up on the northern Asturia border. So when the Zaibach forces came south to invade, they went right through the brunt of the Alliance army. Only a few days after Rampant, our men never stood a chance."

Millerna shook her head. "It's true, we made some mistakes, Sister, but don't say their fight was in vain. Think how hard and how honorably they fought and died to keep this country safe."

"Their honor does not change the fact that we, the people that directed those valiant efforts, took foolish risks that cost us hundreds of valuable lives, not only in soldiers, but in kinsmen," Eries agreed.

There was a passion with which she spoke these words that Hitomi had never heard from her before. It made her realize just how little she knew about the middle princess of Asturia, whose love for her people was apparently much greater than she let on. If King Aston had listened more to his daughters than his generals when strategizing the Alliance attacks, perhaps the kingdom could have come out much more ahead when the war ended.

"Asturia was the frontward fighting zone for the next two weeks, and Zaibach had no pity," Eries continued. "They employed total war tactics, not hesitating to destroy homes, women, children, families, villages, and any other thinghostile or notthat stood between them and Palas. Fortunately, though Asturia was running out of soldiers, our allies sent more of their troops than originally planned to stop the massacre, and no Zaibach forces were able to make it to the capitol."

"But there _was_ one floating fortress that made it to Palas," Celena interjected, who was sitting on Hitomi's right. She flashed Eries an apologetic look as she continued. "The _Delate_. I . . . recognized it from my time in Zaibach." Hitomi could tell from the way she said this that Celena meant Dilandau had recognized it, having probably served on it. "It burned through six towns between here and Zaibach, and no one could stop it. The _Delate_ was one of the last of the empire's fleets, and it reached Palas about two weeks after the war actually ended."

Eries took over the explanation again. "After the empire fell, most of the armies were in such a state of shock that they just kept fighting, hoping to rebuild Zaibach after defeating the Alliance. There was no official surrender, so the Zaibach forces had no reason to stop fighting, especially since they knew they would probably be killed if they surrendered anyway. So they kept fighting, and we had no choice but to fight back, even though the war should have been over."

"I don't think I quite understand. What does all this have to do with the people of Asturia being bitter against the King?" asked Hitomi. "I mean, I understand that those who lost husbands and fathers and such in battle must be devastated, but that's what comes with war, and I'm sure Asturia is familiar with war."

"True," reasoned Eries, "but we've never encountered a war like this. When the _Delate_ and its forces arrived here, because most of our forces were fighting at the front, they met almost no resistance. As you must have seen walking around today, they made short work of all our repairs from the last attack. "Naturally, the people blame King Aston for not forming a good strategy to deal with the possibility of the kind of thing happening when he planned the Alliance's attacks. In result, there has been a lot of tension and a lot of rioting. Father has asked the people what he can do to appease their losses, and he has met with representatives in conferences on the citizens' behalf, but their proposed terms are always too high. We can't pay for every family that has suffered a non-military loss or injury, because that encompasses almost the entire community."

Eries paused for a moment as a serving man with a bottle of wine came to the table and topped off everyone's glasses.

"What exactly happened in the attack?" Hitomi asked when he was gone.

Eries cast an expectant look at Van, but he ignored her, downing the rest of his wine in one swallow and announcing that he had something to take care of. Hitomi watched him disappear through the back doors leading out of the Hall feeling very out-of-the-loop.

"What _is_ it with him?" Hitomi wondered aloud, a slightly bitter edge to her voice. "Ever since I got back, he's been acting so callous and rude. Did I offend him or something?"

"No, he's been like that since the recent attack," Allen informed her lightly from his seat on the other side of Celena. "We were here for the battle, but since you had Escaflowne, Van had to fight on the ground with the other soldiers, and . . . well, you know he isn't too good at that type of combat. He was injured, and he hasn't been the same since."

"It's all my fault. He probably blames this whole thing on me for running off and taking Escaflowne. I sure picked a bad time to leave like that."

Much to her surprise, Allen laughed. "Sure, but you know how Van ishe blames almost everything bad that happens on himself, especially when it concerns you. Why, I figure he's probably forgiven you for running off, but maybe not for betraying him."

"Betrayal?" Hitomi looked at him in shock.

Suddenly, Millerna pushed her chair back and stood up. "You know, I feel like dancing. Allen, come dance with me." She walked around the table and held one dainty hand out to him.

"Very well, Princess." Allen surged to his feet and bowed to the remaining occupants of the table. "Excuse me." He turned around, took Millerna's outstretched hand, and led her toward the other dancers. As they walked away, Millerna turned around and, seeing Hitomi watching her, smiled and winked.

'Thank you,' Hitomi mouthed.

When they were finally gone, Folken expelled a long sigh and ran his fingers through his hair in a tired fashion. "Thank the gods. I thought he'd never leave."

Hitomi smiled and leaned against him. "I'm sorry."

Following Millerna's lead, her friends drifted away to dance with their attractive beaus from other tables, while Eries got up to talk to her father, leaving Hitomi, Folken, and Celena alone.

"I _do_ love my brother," said Celena, "but sometimes I just have to agree with Dilandau: he really can be a pretentious fop."

Folken shook his head. "It's all right."

"I'm going to talk to him later," Celena went on, ignoring him. "I can't believe he would say something like that."

"Celena, it's all right," Folken repeated more insistently. "I'd rather not make a lot of trouble over this by angering one of the Knights Caeli."

Celena sighed. "Well, he didn't have to be so blunt, anyway," she muttered under her breath.

"You know, I think Millerna had the right idea," said Hitomi. She grabbed Folken's hand and stood up. "I'm sick of all this depressing talk. This is supposed to be a celebration, and Millerna planned it especially for us. Come dance with me."

"No, Hitomi, I can't dance," he protested. "You wouldn't want me to try."

"Yes, I do," she whined. "Come on, you can't tell me they didn't teach princes this kind of stuff in Fanelia. Please?"

"I told you, I can't."

"Oh, go dance. You can't be _that_ bad," Celena encouraged, smiling. Folken gave her a plaintive look.

"Maybe you should find a better partner," he suggested. "Go on. I'll stay here and keep Celena company."

"I can keep my own company," Celena pointed out, tapping the side of her head. "Remember, there are two of us in here."

"Please, Folken?" Hitomi pleaded in her most pathetic voice, tugging at his hand. "Please, please, please?"

He sighed again, hanging his head, but Hitomi could see the smile on his face. Cute begging always worked. Reluctantly, he got to his feet and let her drag him out onto the dance floor.

The first number they danced went surprisingly well. It was a slow piece, and as they drifted among the other couples, Hitomi leaned against Folken's chest and whispered to him a few quick rules of dance. He followed her lead for the first half of the song, but it didn't take him long to find the rhythm and take over. It was a simple, consistent, mathematical pattern he could easily count in his mind and keep time with. Their second number was a faster promenade that Folken led her through without hesitation.

"I thought you couldn't dance," she whispered as the song ended.

He smiled down at her. "I guess I can learn." The minstrels took up their instruments again, and started to play a very familiar tune. As Folken recognized it, he laughed a little in amazement. "It's been years since I heard this song. This is a Fanelia song."

"Really?" Hitomi asked, more interested in the contemplative look on Folken's face than the music. "What's it called?"

"This is 'Waltz of the Atlantis Borne'."

They turned at the same time to see Van walking toward then, not paying attention to the couples who had to stop dancing and change direction to avoid running into him.

"Do you mind if I cut in?" he asked politely, watching Hitomi.

Folken shook his head. "No, go ahead." He turned and headed back to the table where Celena was sitting. For a moment, Hitomi considered chastising Van for his rude interruption and then refusing to dance with him, but as he pulled her into the colorful rush of movement, she decided to let it go.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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	10. Welcome To The Resistance

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Dare You To Move" song lyrics are property of Switchfoot, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken" - _Chapter 10: Welcome To the Resistance**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"Welcome to the fallout,  
Welcome to resistance,  
The tension is here,  
Tension is here,  
Between who you are,  
And who you could be,  
Between how it is,  
And how it should be . . ."_  
-Switchfoot, "Dare You To Move"

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/./Oh, gods, this is so boring. Get me out of here././

/I'm really bored, too. Millerna's parties aren't that fun./

/./Then let's go././

/But I want to dance./

/./Then find someone to dance with././

/I want to dance with _you_./

Dilandau laughed. /./That's stupid././

/Thanks for the support./

/./Anytime././

Celena sighed, leaning her head against her hand. He could be so nonchalant sometimes. Well, all of the time, when she thought about it. He really didn't know anything about chivalry, even after all the time she spent with Allen. Surely he would have picked _something_ up from her brother, but Dilandau wouldn't know chivalry if it hit him in the face. However that worked. Celena was about to pursue this point when she looked up to see Folken coming toward her, returning from the dance floor.

"What happened out there?" she asked as he sat down across from her. "Why did you stop dancing? And where's Hitomi?"

"She's dancing with Van." Folken picked up his half empty wine glass and looked down into it.

/./Oooooooh, competition././

Celena ignored Dilandau and frowned. "What happened to that important stuff he said he had to do?"

Folken swirled the wine. "Maybe he finished it."

/./Yeah, right././

"Well, why did you let him dance with Hitomi?"

"He wanted to." Folken smiled at her. "What are you so worked up about? It's only a dance."

/./And it means absolutely nothing. Just keep telling yourself that, Folken././

"But what if he steals her away?" The concern painted on Celena's face was genuine.

Folken laughed, maybe a little too hard. "That's ridiculous."

/./Ha! He's nervous! He's actually nervous/./

/Dilandau! Would you shut up/

/./He can't hear me././

/No, but I can. Give it a rest./

"Well, don't lose heart," Celena said with a smile. Folken took a sip of wine and gave her an confused look, but didn't say anything.

x-X-x-X-x-

Hitomi and Van followed the pattern of the other dancers across the dance floor, spinning through the waltz flawlessly. "Hitomi," said Van. "I'm glad you're back." There was an edge to his words, and almost hesitant feel that Hitomi had never heard from him before. "I meant to tell you earlier, but I never really got the chance."

_Never got the chance? What is he talking about? He's been seeing me all dayhe's had plenty of chances._ Hitomi refrained from pointing this out, even though she was genuinely curious why he was suddenly acting so nice. "Thank you," she replied instead. They passed a few bars of music in silence, then Hitomi couldn't hold back anymore. "When I first got here, I thought you might be mad at me for some reason."

Van looked confused and smiled. "No. Why?"

_Okay, this is starting to get weird._ "You were acting really cold."

Van didn't answer. The final quiet bars of the music drifted in a gentle echo across the hall, and their dance came to a halt. A hushed, trance-like silence fell over the Hall, the dancers captivated for a moment by the magic of the piece. Before the spell had completely faded and the minstrels could begin a new song, a single, slow, reverberating applause broke the silence.

"Brilliant, brilliant."

The attentions of every person in the Great Hall turned to the voice that had spoken. A tall man dressed in coarse, brown-hued clothing clapped his massive hands together as he walked in through a set of double doors near where the troupe was performing. "It's been a long time since I've heard 'Waltz of the Atlantis Borne' performed so well by a troupe that wasn't Fanelian. Yes, yes, wonderful."

Eries stood up from where she was sitting by her father. "Excuse me, sir, but if you're going to make a disturbance, I'll have to ask that you leave."

The tall man looked somewhat hurt, but only for show. "You mean I wasn't invited? How strange, because tonight I was told King Aston was going to be fulfilling a promise to someone important. This is such a once in a lifetime opportunity that I simply _couldn't_ miss it."

Eries's eyes narrowed. "That kind of talk will _not_ be tolerated in this Hall, and _especially_ not this night. Kindly take your quarrels elsewhere until you can make proper arrangements to meet with the King another time."

"Ah, Princess Eries." The tall man stepped toward her, arms outstretched in a gesture of friendship. "Surely you can't deny me this one simple request. Especially not when it's of no loss to you or your great assets."

Allen stepped up behind the man from out of the crowded dance floor, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "It will be of a loss to you if you chose to stay and harass Her Majesty."

The tall man whirled around, the taunting gone from his gaze, looking Allen up and down with in detest. "The Knights Caeli, the Royal Family's lapdogs." He scoffed. "Stand down, dog, and let a real man of honor speak."

Allen's eyes narrowed, and he gripped his sword tightly, but did not draw. "So speak, if you have something so important to say. But watch your words."

The smirk returned to the tall man's visage. He turned back to Eries. "I see no expense has been spared to rebuild the palace, and it was made top priority, too." He gazed around the Great Hall for effect. "So, now that your own home is back to normal, will you be so kind as to devote some of your precious attention to helping your people?"

"Now you're out of line." Allen grabbed the man, but he wrenched out of the knight's grip and shoved him away.

"Moore!" he called. "Time to do this thing right!"

Suddenly, both double doors burst open again, and a rush of people came in, all of them dressed in different colors and styles proclaiming them from all different walks of life, but all of them were armed and looked disheveled.

"Sansom, you idiot!" A bearded man all in black ran up to the tall man. "This was not the way it was supposed to happen."

"No, it wasn't." Sansom shouted these words toward Eries and King Aston. "But how many things have happened the way these people promised the past few months?" He thrust an accusing finger at the royals. Grabbing the sword from Moore's grip, he strode up to the table at which they were sitting, and slammed the tip of the blade into the King's plate, splattering food everywhere.

"You've done it this time, Sansom," Moore snarled, but Sansom paid no attention. He was glaring at Aston, and completely ignoring his comrade's pessimism.

"The time for talking is drawing to a close," Sansom warned the King in a low voice. "If you want to avoid trouble, maybe you should stop breaking your promises and try to listen to your people. Didn't you hear them screaming only a month ago when Zaibach burned down their homes and slaughtered their families? Don't you see them suffering now outside in the streets while you clench the money that could save them in your tight fist? Feh." He spat.

"Guards! Seize these men!" Eries ordered.

The Royal Asturian Guard, which had been standing along the walls and keeping watch over the banquet, dashed out of the shadow's at Eries's request.

"Wait, Sister!" called Millerna, pushing her way through the dancers to where she stood in the center of everything, hoping her presence at least would keep things from going too far. "These men should be allowed to speak."

"They should pick a better time and place to bring up their issues," said Eries, throwing a menacing glare at the younger princess. "Stand down, Millerna, you don't know what you're talking about. This is out of your hands alone." Her attention turned back to the guards. "Take them all to the dungeons for treason and attempted assassination."

Sansom wrenched his sword out of the table and swung it around into Eries's face. "Not so fast, Princess Eries. Just outside those big windows, the rest of my men are waiting for my signal to attack. We've got you outnumbered. However, I'm a decent man, and I'm willing to walk away from here without doing anything, as long as you're willing to do a few things for me."

Eries narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Tomorrow morning, you, your father, and Princess Millerna here will meet with me and Moore in this room, and you will listen to the requests of the citizens of Palas."

Eries pursed her lips, but remained silent.

"That can be arranged," King Aston said slowly. "This time, I hope you can give some realistic requests instead of the bullshit you tried to feed me last time."

"Have I ever let you down?" Sansom intoned, baring his teeth in a dangerous-looking smile. "Now, let my men walk away from here free, and we should be done for the night."

Aston nodded. "Very well. They can go."

"All right, then. Everyone, back off." Sansom whipped his sword away from Eries with a flashy twirl and lowered it to his side. He turned around to watch the mismatched band of rebels lower their weapons and walk warily out of the Great Hall under the suspicious gaze of the Royal Guard. When they were all out, Sansom looked back at Aston, grabbed a piece of food from his plate, and popped it in his mouth. "Great party. I'm looking forward to dropping in on the next one if things don't work out."

Aston's mouth twisted in a small smile. "I don't think you need to worry about a next time." He snapped his fingers, and a few guards leapt forward to grab Sansom before he had any idea he had been double-timed. They swiped the sword out of his hand and had him restrained immediately. "Please take our guest to his new stay room. I'm sure he'll find it much more pleasant than the cold, damp street."

"What the hell!" Sansom struggled against his captors. "Aston, breaking your promises already? I should have known better than to trust you."

"I upheld everything I promised. I let your men go, and I'm willing to meet with you and your friend tomorrow if you show up. I never said I wouldn't throw you in the dungeon."

"Bastard!" Sansom wrenched his body back and forth as the guards shoved him roughly out of the room. "Someday your lies are going to come back around to you, and then you'll know how we're suffering!"

"Shut your mouth!" One of the guards slapped him upside the head with his sword's hilt.

But nothing could silence the rebel leader now. "Lady Hitomi!" he called. "If you're here at this banquet in your honor, I hope you know how many people are dying in the streets because the money that could have built them homes out of the winter cold was spent on the fancy pastries you ate here instead! Lend us your power! Help us save the people you descended from heaven to preserve!"

The guards forced him outside, but his cries could still be heard all the way down the corridor. The Great Hall was left in silence for a minute as everyone's attention turned slowly to Hitomi, who was caught up wishing fervently that she would be taken away, too.

x-X-x-X-x-

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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	11. The Call of Duty

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Escape" song lyrics are property of Hoobastank, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_**** - Chapter 11: The Call of Duty**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

x-X-x-X-x-

_"We could be living how we wanted to,  
Instead of doing things we're forced to do,  
With no one to tell us,  
That we should be going though,  
What they went through . . ."_  
-Hoobastank, "Escape"

x-X-x-X-x-

Things weren't sorted out the next morning between the Asturian rebels and King Aston. With their leader in jail, the entire rebellious force seemed to lose steam, fearing that they would meet the same fate. The bearded man, Moore, never showed up the next morning to meet with the King and his daughters, despite the trouble Sansom went through to arrange it. Not to anyone's surprise, the leader wasn't there either. A quiet standstill settled over the Palas, and out in the streets one could fairly sense the disdain of people too afraid to speak out.

None of this seemed to be bothering Millerna one morning a week later as she burst into Hitomi and Folken's room in an even more chipper mood than usual. "Good morning!" she called, swinging the door open with flourish. "It's such a beautiful day!"

Her bright voice brought Hitomi out of a restless sleep, and she rolled over with a frustrated groan. "Do you plan to come in here and wake me up like this every morning, or just after I've had a really bad night?"

"What's wrong?"

"I just couldn't sleep, that's all. Just leave me alone."

"I'm going to take that comment as morning impoliteness and ignore it," said Millerna good-naturedly. She walked over to the heavy curtains and flung them open to a sky scattered with clouds, one which presently obscured the sun. Millerna's face drooped. "Well, maybe it won't be such a beautiful day after all."

"That's the spirit," said Hitomi. She pulled the covers up over her head. "Goodnight now."

"You can't hide in bed forever." Millerna walked back to the bed and plopped down by the lump of blankets that was Hitomi. "Come on, just because some stupid rebel made an ass of himself doesn't mean you have to hide in your room. That was a while ago, anyway. You've got to stop worrying about it. That's what's keeping you up all night."

Hitomi moaned. "Go away, please."

"Hitomi, this isn't like you," Millerna pointed out. She waited for Hitomi to respond, but Hitomi didn't say anything. The princess sighed and bounced up and down on the mattress a little. "Hitomi . . ." she called in a singsong voice. "Hitomi, Hitomi . . ."

"Who is awake at this inane hour?"

Millerna turned to the sofa, which presently doubled for Folken's bed. He rolled over, and upon realizing exactly who was behind this unappreciated awakening, turned apologetic. "Oh, Princess Millerna, I beg your pardon."

"You too." Millerna looked back at the lump that was Hitomi. "Both of you, quit moping!"

"With all do respect, Princess Millerna, but did it ever occur to you that we might simply be tired?" asked Folken.

"Yeah, that's what Hitomi said." Suddenly, an underlying meaning registered in her mind. Millerna looked from Hitomi to Folken, and a bright blush appeared on her fair cheeks. "Oh, I'm sorry. I should have guessed."

Hitomi slung a small pillow into the back of Millerna's head. "Keep your mind out of the gutter, that's not what happened. I was just really troubled last night, and it kept us both awake."

Millerna smiled. "Well, at least that got you up."

Hitomi gave her an unfriendly smirk.

"Okay, no more sad talk," the princess announced, bouncing to her feet. "We've definitely had enough of that by now. Anyway, now that you know about all the problems around here, let's start doing something to fix them. After all, that's what you came back for, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Hitomi swung her legs over the massive bed. She turned to Folken, stretching her arms above her head. "Are you coming with?"

Folken shook his head. "I think I'll stay here and get a little more sleep."

A flash of concern crossed Hitomi's fate. "Are you doing all right? You slept for a really long time yesterday, too."

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "I'm just tired."

Hitomi still looked skeptical, but she passed it off with a wave of her hand, and allowed the conversation to turn to the homeless shelter Millerna was taking her. Folken listened without comment for several minutes until the cloud covering the sun drifted away, and the morning sunlight beamed inside. The bright light only served to aggravate his eyes, and he pulled the blankets over his head, falling asleep in a matter of minutes. Hitomi and Millerna shared a moment of quiet laughter at the sight before they went down to the Hall for breakfast.

"You know, I think I'm starting to understand why you fell for that man," said the princess suddenly.

Hitomi, who was near the door, looked back.

"I remember that letter you sent to me with Celena," Millerna went on. "Ever since you came back, I've been watching you two together to see if I can figure out what it is that attracted you to him. I mean, he _is_ the most unlikely person I'd ever expect you to fall in love with." Her expression contorted with concentration. "At first, I really didn't get what you might see in him, but now it's just so obvious. He _really_ loves you, Hitomi. I've never seen someone so dedicated.

"Honestly, the first time I met Folken, I never believed he was even _capable_ of loving someone. He just always seemed so callous and distant. When you two ran off, I thought he kidnapped you. I would have staked my entire country on it. I never would have guessed Folken would take you anywhere on pure good intentions." Suddenly, she smiled again. "You've got some charm, Hitomi, if you could get _him_ to fall in love."

Speechless, Hitomi stood frozen as Millerna joined her at the door and pushed it open. "What?" the princess asked, still smiling.

"I just never thought I'd hear you say that," Hitomi admitted.

"What, did you think I hated Folken?" Millerna laughed. "I'm not Allen! Besides, I know people can change. And you changed him for the good. I've got to believe that."

x-X-x-X-x-

"All right, all you really have to know about this place is that it's almost exactly like the chapel you volunteered at before you left."

"Why don't I just go back there? I already know the people."

"Well, Zaibach kind of destroyed it when they came here the last time. So now all those people that were helping there are refugees themselves."

Hitomi and Millerna stood on the doorstep of a massive white wood-and-plaster building a few hours later. The building had once been used as a large common hall by Palas citizens, but now served as a hospital, mission house, church, homeless shelter, and often temporary morgue. It was easily twice as big as the old chapelmaybe a little moreand must have been just as grand. Now, however, several places in the walls were covered with heavy canvas, and more than a few holes in the shingled ceiling let in the chill of rapidly approaching winter.

Millerna noticed Hitomi's agape expression. "Believe me, it looks just as bad on the inside."

"I know you said very little money went into the relief effort, but this is just absurd," said Hitomi. "I mean, this building doesn't look like it's gotten _any_ attention, and it's in such a sad state."

"But you'll noticed that the palace is just fine," Millerna pointed out. "This city certainly looks like Zaibach attacked. They came in to destroy us, but were so captivated by the palace that they flattened the city around it instead." She started up the stone steps and pushed open one of the lopsided makeshift doors. It creaked a little on its uneven hinges. "Come on, I'll show you around."

The inside of the shelter was just as decrepit as the outside. It was drastically under furnishedthe shelter was one large, empty room filled with rows upon rows of cots, almost every single one of them occupied. Among the rows were carts on wheels manned by ragged volunteers who could pass for refugees themselves. They wheeled around with food, drink, and medicine to take care of those too weak to even get out of bed.

"This is the main hall," said Millerna. "It's where everybody who's homeless stays. As you can see, we're in need or an additional room or two." She strode purposefully among the sick and ailing toward the back of the hall. "The doors on the far left lead to the kitchens, the ones on the right lead to storage, which is where you'll find the medicine, blankets, clothes, and anything else. Just don't expect to find anything really high quality. All this stuff had to survive a Zaibach attack, so it'll last a while, but it isn't very pretty."

"Okay." Hitomi nodded, but was quickly distracted by a loud cry behind her. She and Millerna whirled around to see the doors they had entered through burst open. Three people caked in dust and grime ran inside, supporting a bloody, mangled body between them and screaming for help.

Forgetting about Hitomi, Millerna dashed up to meet them, and directed them toward an open bunk. She tried to calm them, but their hysterics were already waking many of the sleeping patients throughout the makeshift hospital.

"Please, Princess, you have to help us," one of them begged, hanging on Millerna's arm as she helped the others lay their beaten comrade on the cot. "We were just trying to make them let him go. We didn't expect they'd come back so strong."

Hitomi slowly started to inch closer as Millerna yelled at the other volunteers to bring her some tools and medicine as she pulled the fabric of his shirt away from the wound. The man on the bed wailed at the top of his lungs, writhing back and forth as Millerna placed a hand on his bloody chest.

"What happened?" Millerna demanded, her voice suddenly businesslike.

"We need to get Sansom out of there if the resistance is going to have any chance to make a difference for this country," the man explained hurriedly. "Aston isn't going to listen to reason, and you know Moore can't organize something like this all by himself. Some of us got together to bust him out, but the Royal Guard caught onto our plans, and they tried to massacre us in the streets before we could get away."

"This man has been stabbed quite a few times," Millerna pointed out. A young woman wheeling a squeaky tray of supplies rushed up beside her. "How'd he get so many if you was running away?"

"We couldn't just turn our backs on those pigs while they hassled us," the man said in a voice full of pride. "We did the honorable thing and stood up for ourselves."

"Well, you friend here isn't going to think that was so honorable if he doesn't come out of this," said Millerna as she grabbed a knife and clean towel from the tray. Hitomi continued to come closer. "He's in really bad shape."

The dirty rebel rubbed his tear-filled eyes with the back of his hand, pretending nothing was there. "If he dies, I swear I'll make that bastard Aston pay for it."

"Don't forget who you're talking to," Millerna warned him, not looking up as she reached for another tool.

"My humblest apologies, Princess." The man bowed his head. "Your honor gratifies you above your father, but nothing permits me to speak of him that way in your presence."

"Believe me, Her Majesty has heard it all," commented the young woman who brought the supplies. She now stood assisting Millerna. "Almost all of the people in here are unhappy with the king to some degree, and those in the greatest pain sometimes forget to hold their tongues when she's around."

Hitomi reached the cot and stood next to the man, leaning over beside him to get a better look at the victim. Her form cast a shadow over the wound, and Millerna looked up at her with a cold, get-back glare, a very professional and not Millerna-like expression at all. Hitomi took a few steps back.

They worked in silence for a few minutes, save for the man's whimpering, his comrade's piercing screams, and Millerna's instructions to everyone to keep calm. Hitomi circled the group slowly, unsure what to do with herself.

The other people in the shelter were all awake by now, and the background noise caught her attention. Children ran unattended at breakneck speed through the big room, crawling under occupied cots and bounding over the empty ones. People called out in hopeful and fearful voices for loved ones, some of them hallucinating, and the bodies of those who had died in the night were wrapped up and carted out to be disposed of.

Hitomi stepped beside Millerna. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked the working figure.

"Hitomi, please stay out of my way!" Millerna snapped. "I can't take care of you and this man at the same time."

"Your Highness," called the young attendant, who was monitoring the injured man's vitals by holding his wrist and watching his breathing. "His pulse is speeding up. He's going into shock!"

"Damn it," Millerna swore under her breath. She threw down her present tool and grabbed a new one.

The rebel folded his arms nervously and looked over his shoulder at Hitomi. "Hey, you girl. There are a lot more people waiting out there every morning to get help." He nodded toward the door. "And there are always plenty of people in here that could use some assistance. Why don't you go look over their shoulders?"

The injured man wailed as Millerna dug a knife into the ragged skin around his stomach, tearing into the flesh with a sickening squelch. Hot blood poured from the wound all over everything.

"Don't we have some kind of anesthetic!" she hollered. "We're going to lose him if he goes into shock before I can sew up the wound!"

"All I have are some brandy gags," said the young attendant, her hands scrambling through her tools. "There might be some anesthetic in the storeroom. You want me to go get it?"

"No, I need you here."

"I'll get it," Hitomi offered. She took two steps toward the storeroom when she stopped and turned back. "How will I know where to find it?"

The attendant groaned. "Oh, I'll get it. I'll be right back." She took off toward the storeroom at a dead run. Hitomi was left to stand and watch helplessly as Millerna tried to take on the surgery herself.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?" Hitomi asked again, more tentatively this time.

"Hitomi, just leave!" Millerna snapped. Her gaze and her hands flew all over the place. "You're just distracting me and getting in the way, and that's the last thing anyone needs right now!"

The young woman arrived back a few moments later as Hitomi was backing away. After only a few steps, the backs of her knees hit a bunk where its indignant occupant yelled at her to get lost. In the end, Hitomi wound up sitting in the far corner of the hall near the storeroom for the rest of the day. The stone flood was bitter cold, and the other volunteers rushed to and fro without a glance in her direction. They probably thought she was just another refugee.

x-X-x-X-x-

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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	12. Escape

**Dear Readers:** I am very sorry for the three month delay on this story. After failing two math tests (and risking failing the class) and dealing with a crazed stalker, I couldn't handle a regular update as well. For those of you who waited faithfully for me to pull myself together, I am eternally grateful. However, I can't guarantee regular updates again for the time being. I will try my best, but I recently moved into a new apartment, and with a new semester . . . let's just say it's been a tad hectic. Hopefully, I'll settle into a routine, though. 

**Disclaimer:**_ Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Escape" song lyrics are property of Hoobastank, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 12: Escape**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

-x-X-x-X-x-

_"There has to be someplace,  
That nobody knows,  
Somewhere we can only go,  
There has to be someplace,  
That we can be all alone,  
We have to escape,  
And I will go anywhere,  
If you just lead the way,  
Escape to a place where we'll be together,  
Together everyday,  
We have to escape . . ."_  
-Hoobastank, "Escape"

-x-X-x-X-x-

Hitomi sat on the beach on the outskirts of town, watching the tide roll in on a chill wind, pulling her jacket a little tighter against her body. The sun was setting, bleeding deep reds and oranges into the sky and salty water. She exhaled, watching her breath hang in the still, quiet air. All the chaos and troubles of the day, with the bustling commotion of Palas, drifted away as she sat in the sand looking out on the endless expanse of glassy ocean. Yet, every time she tried to send her troubles across the sea, the waves rolled them right back.

"Hello, Hitomi."

Hitomi jumped, and looked up to see Folken standing over her. She touched a hand to her chest. Where he'd come from, she had no idea; even after all their time together, he still managed to sneak up and surprise her. "You startled me. I didn't hear you walk up."

He sat down beside her in the sand. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were still helping Millerna."

Hitomi shrugged. "She didn't need me today."

"Really?"

It was hard to tell by the tone of his voice whether he believed her or not. "Yeah."

"Have you been out here all afternoon?"

"Yeah."

Folken waited, but Hitomi didn't add anything to this thought. His expression darkened. "I've never seen you this quiet. Is something wrong?"

"No." She leaned over, resting against his shoulder. "I just don't have anything to talk about."

"All right."

They sat in silence for several minutes, listening to the gentle crashing of the waves and breathing just out of time with each other. Another gust of cold wind blew over Hitomi, and she scooted a little closer to Folken. Maybe he thought she was simply cold, or he could tell she needed comfort after a bad day, but he put an arm around her waist anyway. At his touch, the cold blood stirred in her veins, but she didn't feel much better.

The sun drifted a little closer to the horizon, and at the highest point above them in the sky, the dark blue of night washed away all the evening's vibrant colors. The sight made Hitomi feel even worse.

"I wish Gaea had a pause function," she suddenly blurted out in all seriousness. "Just to keep this moment from ever ending. On Earth, people can pause and rewind their favorite parts of movies to watch them over and over again." She had explained the concept of movies and television once before. "I wish we could just sit here and enjoy the sunset like this every night without having to deal with Asturia and all its problems."

Folken opened his mouth to say something, then closed it on second thought. Without even intending to, Hitomi kept going. "They really didn't need me here in the first place. I don't know what I thought I could do by coming back. I'm not any more use than anyone else." A worried crease appeared on her forehead as she pondered this statement. "Actually, I don't think I'm any help. All I've really done since I got here is stir up some rebels who think I'm a goddess, and make a big mess for Millerna to clean up."

Hitomi closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to smile, but couldn't manage more than a grimace. "I can't even imagine how miserable this must be for _you_," she went on without giving Folken a chance to disagree. "I should have known how everyone would react when I returned with a man they thought betrayed them. Millerna tries to act natural, but she always gets nervous every time she sees us together. Van won't talk to you at all, and he always seems to be avoiding me. And Allen . . ." Hitomi let out a long sigh as she said his name and rolled her head back. "He doesn't even make an effort to hide how much he disapproves.

"No matter how hard I try, I can't shake the feeling that we shouldn't have come back. I didn't even think about what it might be like for you to be here. All I've been thinking about was what _I_ want to do, and I never consider _you_. Our life was perfect before coming back to Asturia, but I just couldn't be happy with that. I wanted _more_." Hitomi gave a bitter, half-hearted laugh. "You must be thinking 'I told you so' by now."

Folken made a show of looking offended, though Hitomi knew it was only for her benefit. "I don't think I would say something quite so juvenile," he started, "and I don't even agree with the idea. Van, Princess Millerna, and the others don't trust me because they have good reason. It's my word against Asturia's that I didn't betray them, and even you can't change what they think and how they feel. So let them think what they want. It doesn't change anything."

"What do you mean?" asked Hitomi. "It changes everything."

"Oh? Name something."

Hitomi didn't even have to think about it. "If they think you're a traitor, then they don't even try to see your good points."

Folken laughed. "And what does that matter? Does that change how you think of me?"

"Well, no."

"Then let them have their opinions. If someday you manage to convince them to think differently, or they figure it out for themselves, then it will be a good day," said Folken. "But don't fret waiting for such a day that might be long in coming. I assure you, whatever they say and do doesn't bother me enough to make me want to abandon you here." He leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Hitomi pushed him back and looked up at him. "You mean you haven't had enough?"

"Of you?" He gave her a curious look. "I don't think that will ever happen."

Hitomi was serious. "No, of Asturia."

"I could never tire of where you are."

Hitomi could see he was trying his best to cheer her up. She felt a little frustrated with herself for beating down everything he said. Here he was, in a place he so obviously disliked, filled with people who seemed to dislike him in return, and not once had he offered a single complaint. Why couldn't she learn from that example?

The waves lapped at her feet, the tide pushing them inward. The ocean followed the same pattern day in and day out; low tide, high tide; so consistent that someone could set a clock by it. Hitomi wished her own emotions could be so stable. If she wasn't crying one day, she was sobbing the next. Of course, people had emotional ups and downs, but like Folken, everyone seemed to be able to hide them.

Privy to none of these thoughts, Folken sighed. "The tide is coming in," he pointed out.

"I know," said Hitomi, her gaze locked on the rolling waves.

"We're going to get wet."

"I know."

Folken looked down at her with a frown. "Well, I think you're cold enough as it is." Suddenly, he grabbed her around the waist and leapt to his feet.

Hitomi gasped and clutched her arms around his neck. "Hey, put me down!"

"I can't," Folken protested. "The tide is coming in." He spun her around. "I can't let you get cold."

She hugged her arms around his neck. _Not in these arms,_ she thought. _I'll never be cold._ She tightened her grip and nestled her head against him, listening to the rise and fall of his breath and the pounding of his heart. Unlike hers, his pulse was rapid, and it contradicted the contented expression on his face. "Let me go," she whispered half-heartedly.

"No."

Hitomi looked out over the ocean. The tide rolled relentlessly toward the shore, the crashing surf washing over their footprints as if it were trying to wash away their problems with it. If only the white foam was as much an escape as she wished it could be, to steal away her troubles so she could fill their void with carefree whimsy. If only . . .

Folken stopped spinning and followed her gaze. "Where are you?" he asked quietly.

"Here with you," Hitomi replied as if it were obvious.

"Your heart left Asturia awhile ago," said Folken, "somewhere across the ocean. It's just waiting for your mind to catch up."

Hitomi looked down at the sand, the waves lapping at her toes. As much as she wanted to show Folken she was all right, she couldn't force herself to smile. Her heart, in fact, was little more than a lump of lead right in her chest. She felt him loosen his grip to let her go, but kept her arms tight around his neck. When her feet touched the ground, instead of standing, she let her knees go out beneath her and pulled them both into the sand.

"I'm serious," said Folken, propping himself up above her. "You're not happy, I'm not happy. We can leave this place."

Hitomi rolled her head to the side as the ocean's icy spray slapped at her face. "You don't mean that."

"I do." Hitomi could her the intensity in Folken's voice even though she couldn't see it in his expression. "You remember, don't you? We were free of all this. No one knew who we were, where we went. We could live together without worrying about anything or anyone."

"I miss that," Hitomi admitted.

Folken went on. "You destroyed the Zaibach Empire; you fulfilled your purpose on Gaea. You don't owe anything else to this world. You don't have to suffer this rejection and ridicule for the sake of these people. You don't owe anything to Asturia."

Hitomi turned and looked up past him at the burning sky. "That's not true. When I first came here, Van, and Allen, and Millerna, and everybody looked out for me. They protected me from you," she said. "I made a lot of trouble for them, and even if I did save their home, I should still make up for the damage I created."

Folken closed his eyes, shaking his head. "But you're not happy." He opened them again. "How many times have your friends told you that the most important thing is your happiness?"

"I _am_ happy here." But of course, Hitomi couldn't convince herself to believe these words any more than she could convince Folken.

"Then why don't you look at me when you say it?" he asked. "I know you're lying, Hitomi."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Folken's expression flooded with concern at her defeatist manner. Nothing defeated Hitomi. "I'll take you anywhere; you just tell me where to go. Don't you remember how well that used to work?"

"But you just said-"

"I know what I just said." Folken's words took on a hint of desperation. "I'll be with you wherever you are, and if that somewhere isn't here, I'll take you there. I'll take you anywhere."

Hitomi met his gaze for the first time and reached up to touch his cheek, but Folken caught her hand before she could. The look in his eyes pleaded with her to accept his offer, and for a moment, she wished he could take her away into that quickly approaching darkness. But her obligations to Asturia kept her silent, everything she owed her friends forcing her to look away.

Folken scowled and his eyes narrowed as he stood up, leaving Hitomi lying on her back in the sand.

"Folken," she began, but he wouldn't look at her. "I'm sorry."

-x-X-x-X-x-

**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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Please show your support with a review!


	13. An Influx of Opinions

Well, I was aiming for a weekly updatelast week, but I got caught up watching _Gone With The Wind_ on TCM the other night. I love Clark Gable. He so fine. :) _It Happened One Night_ (a comedy from 1934 also starring Clark Gable for which he won his only Academy Award, though he should have won one for _Gone With The Wind_ too) was also on last night, and I watched it until I fell asleep. I absolutely adore classic movies. I saw _Fail-Safe_ with Henry Fonda (the original 1964 version) on AMC last month. That movie so deserves more credit than it got. This all really started when I saw _An Affair To Remember_ last year, and . . . whoa, why am I rambling about this? 

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Life For Rent" song lyrics are property of Dido, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ - Chapter 13: An Influx of Opinions**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"While my heart is a shield,  
And I won't let it down,  
While I am so afraid to fail,  
So I won't even try,  
Well, how can I say I'm alive . . .?"_  
-Dido, "Life For Rent"

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The next day was a cold, stormy one. The overcast sky was a dark shade of gray, and the clouds rained big, heavy drops down on the city of Palas. A cold wind blew through the streets, freezing puddles and turning the rain to sleet. As far as Asturian winters went, this weather wasn't anything miraculous; most of the residents cursed it as it fell outside their windows, but nevertheless, Celena was fascinated.

She and Allen sat in the antique parlor of the Schezar estate, display room for the trophies and rarities of years past handed down by the family. None of these things seemed to interest Celena quite so much as the storm outside. She had abandoned her chair in front of the roaring fire in favor of a cold window seat that looked out on the forested back lawn. Her books and papers lay in a neat stack on the floor, waiting for her distraction to pass, which might never happen. She stared transfixed, her eyes bulging, as one poor gray squirrel scampered up and down the trunk of a tree.

/./Oh, come on, Celena/./ Dilandau complained as the squirrel made another round on the tree trunk. /./It's not like you've never seen rain or squirrels before././

/No, but Allen doesn't know that/ said Celena as she straightened her legs, stretching them out after half and hour tucked beneath her. /I just really don't want to study anymore./

Allen sat in another chair opposite the one Celena had vacated, sipping from a glass of white wine and watching her with a look of growing frustration. It was too cold and too stormy to train new soldiers on the practice grounds, as many of the days to come would be, so the knights had been granted a day of leave. Allen chose to spend his day off with his sister and drill her through her lessons rather than spend time with Millerna as he usually did.

Since Celena's return to Asturia, Allen had determined that she would learn to be a proper woman and act befitting her social station. This meant endless hours of books filled with rules of etiquette, needlepoint, and how to make idle chitchat on any number of vastly dull subjects. At first, Celena found the lessons fascinating, despite Dilandau's comment that knowing twenty-seven different stitches had no practical use in everyday life. After that, it didn't take her long to realize he was right.

Dilandau sighed. /./Celena, I'm bored. This is boring././

/Just look at him. He's so cute/

/./He'd be even cuter staring down the barrel of my flamethrower././

/Dilandau/

/./Gods, Celena, I am _bored_. I want to get up and _do_ something././

/I know how you feel./

Finally, Allen couldn't stand the silence. Half an hour staring out that window was ridiculous. "Celena, what _are_ you looking at? You're going to get sick if you stay by that window all day."

Reluctantly, Celena got up and plopped back into her chair, her arms and legs sprawled out. Then, she remembered herself and sat up straight, linking her ankles and folding her hands in her lap. For a minute, she started into the fire wide-eyed and alert, the pyro within entranced by the dancing flames. But before long, her eyes glassed over and her mind wandered, allowing another silence to settle over them.

"How are your studies coming, Celena?" Allen asked before the silence could take a strong hold. It was also a chance to see if she could be subliminally prompted to return to her work.

She couldn't. "They're fine," she answered, blinking a couple time as she came back to her body. "I'm trying to cross-stitch some quilt squares, but they're not coming out the way I imagined them. I also have a whole bunch of chain-stitched ones that they keep coming apart. I don't know how get them to hold."

Allen nodded. "You're making a blanket?"

"Yeah."

"Yes," he corrected heavily, masking a sigh. She still had such a long way to go.

"Yes, brother," said Celena.

He nodded again, and they slipped into another silence.

/./Since you have the moment, ask the knight how the new Asturian military is coming along././ There was obvious mockery in Dilandau's words. /./It must be frustrating to rebuild an entire army././

Celena didn't hesitate. "Allen, how are the new soldiers coming in their training? How long until they're finished?"

"Soldiers aren't like young ladies, Celena. They don't get 'finished.'" Allen gave her a curious look. "Why do you want to know?"

/./I hate that look. He's suspicious././

/No, he isn't/ she replied, listening with only half an ear. Celena had long-since lost interest in his paranoia. "I'm just interested in what you do all day," she said. "You're interested in my studies, and I don't think men are supposed to care about needlepoint."

Allen noted her point and nodded in understanding. "Well, the training is going well. That's all you need to know."

/./Ask him what kind of maneuvers he makes his students run././

"What kind of maneuvers do you students do?"

"Why are you so interested in fighting?"

Celena shrugged. "It's a change from etiquette."

Allen raised his glass to his lips and would say no more.

/./Ask him what class level his best students are at././

"What class level are your best students?"

Allen slammed the glass down and a little wine spilled out onto the rosewood coffee table between them. "It is _none_ of your concern!" he snapped.

Celena drew back in her chair, her face flooded with surprise and even a little fear. His words carried enough spite, it was as if he'd verbally slapped her.

/./Great, now you've pissed him off././

Allen saw her expression and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sorry, Celena. I don't know why I'm so uptight about this. There's so much going on right now with the relief effort, the new soldiers, and all the uprisings; it's too much for the Knights Caeli to handle."

Celena leaned forward and patted his knee. "I know."

Allen looked at her in surprise, but said nothing.

/./The knight's onto us again././

/Stop being paranoid. You're the one who made me provoke him, anyway./

/./If he catches on, I'm blaming whatever happens on you././

/You do that./

Dilandau laughed, calmed by her disregarding comment. /./You're getting cynical, you know that/./

/I must get it from you./

/./I'm a bad influence like that././

Celena could almost imagine him smirking when she heard these words, though the mental picture was hindered by the fact that she had no idea what he looked like. It was oddly ironic that they could be so close and yet never see each other.

"Celena," said Allen suddenly. "What was it like living there?"

Celena blinked and shook her head, trying to figure out where this question had come from. "What?"

"When you were living in Zaibach," he rephrased. "What was it like?"

"I've told you before, I don't remember," she answered patiently. "The Sorcerers did a lot of experiments on me, and they're probably the reason I don't remember anything."

"No, I mean just recently. While you were living with Hitomi," Allen tried again.

"Oh, well. . . ." Celena hesitated. "It was nice." She watched him expectantly, unsure what to say.

"And?" he prompted.

"And what? What do you want to know?"

"I just wanted to know how long Hitomi's been acting like this," said Allen.

"Acting like what? Has she changed?" His statements left Celena out of the loop, and she was quickly losing her patience for it. Her words took on a sharper tone. "I guess I haven't known Hitomi for very long, so I don't know how she was before. She's been like she is now ever since I met her." Did that even make sense? Now _she_ didn't even know what she was talking about.

"She used to have much better judgment than this," Allen went on, watching the fire now instead of his sister. "The Hitomi I knew never made a mistake like this that put so many people in danger."

Celena's eyebrows knit together in confusion as she tried to figure out what he meant by this. About then, the true meaning of his words finally struck. "Wait a minute, do you mean about Folken?"

Allen nodded. "You probably don't know this, but he used to be the Strategos of Zaibach up until just before the war. He was second-in-command of the entire empire under Dornkirk. From almost the minute Hitomi arrived on Gaea, Folken's been trying to capture her and use her power to destroy everything."

"I already knew that," said Celena.

Allen was undeterred. "Did you know that deserting the empire was just another one of his plans to capture Hitomi? He would convince her to trust him, and then he'd take her away. That was what I figured had happened to her when she left Asturia. I never expected that letter to Millerna would arrive from her, and certainly not that I'd ever see her again." He paused. "I don't know which is worse; that she could fall in love with someone like that, or that she'd lie to us and say leaving in the first place was _her_ idea."

"How do you know it wasn't?"

"Celena, people like Folken don't just change their morals overnight and decide everything they've been striving toward for the last few years is wrong," Allen explained patiently, giving her a pitying look. "You're still young, and you haven't been out in the world long enough to see how nasty people are."

Celena considered this for a minute. He could be right. She didn't know much about people, and especially not about Folken. She knew from Dilandau about his ruthless tactics as the Zaibach Strategos, but he had never given her any reason to be suspicious of Folken now.

/./You shouldn't be././ said Dilandau. /./That knight's just trying to confuse you././ He took a deep breath and sighed. I hate to say it, but he's wrong about Folken. It's disgusting, but he sticks to his idiotic ideals no matter what././ Dilandau turned contemplative. /./You know, when it comes down to it, I don't know who I hate more, him or the knight. They're both so damn idealistic/./

/Dilandau. . . ./ Celena warned.

Dilandau groaned. /./Folken's always hated senseless killing. I guess after awhile, he just couldn't stand how Zaibach did things anymore and left. I wasn't on the _Vione_ at the time, so I don't know exactly what happened to make him finally do it, but it was bound to happen. Even if the empire were still around, he'd never go back. He's totally devoted to something else now././ Dilandau laughed. /./It's so disgustingly obvious watching him around Hitomi; he's _actually_ in love with her, and _I'd_ love to see someone try to prove me otherwise././

Celena nodded, forgetting how strange this must have looked to Allen. /I guess you _would_ know more about Folken than Allen, since you served under him./

/./The knight doesn't know anything. I don't know why you even bother listening to him././

"Celena, do you understand what I said?" Allen prompted.

"I think you're wrong," Celena found herself saying before she realized she'd spoken aloud.

"What?"

"What Hitomi told me was right," Celena continued. "Folken isn't the same person he used to be, and if she trusts him, that's good enough for me."

"You'll take her word over mine?"

Celena looked over out the window and the dark lawn beyond. "You know, I think I want to go outside for a little while. It's too stuffy in here."

Allen frowned. "Don't change the subject. I want you to answer my question."

Celena gave him a blank look. "Can I go outside? I promise I'll dress warm."

Allen's anger melted into worry. "Celena, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand. I can go out."

Allen sighed. "I guess I wore you out. This is probably too much information to take in after only two months. When you're more prepared for it, I'll teach you about all the horrible things people do to each other." He shook his head and tried to push the thought out of mind.

/./My gods, this man is such an idiot. I can't believe he buys this pathetic act every time././

/He's just concerned about me. I shouldn't trick him like this./

/./Well, at least he's not getting all red in the face now././

"Allen, will you let me go outside, please?" Celena asked again in a pleading, singsong voice, the one Millerna always used around him to get her way.

Allen smiled. "I suppose we can take a little break. Come on, let's find you a warm jacket."

x-X-x-X-x-

The rain stopped falling just after noon, and Hitomi announced that she was going to visit Celena, who hadn't been seen around the palace in several days. Folken offered to come with her, but Hitomi insisted he stay in bed and sleep. He woke up that morning with a fever and could hardly walk the length of the room without stumbling. Hitomi shook her head. It was his own fault for standing in the frigid water when the tide came in last night. Folken didn't agree with this idea one bit, but when another dizzy spell hit as he tried to follow her, he ended up lying on the sofa again, waiting for the world to stop spinning.

Hitomi hated leaving him alone, but Celena hadn't looked too well either the last time she saw her. Folken could take care of himself just fine for a few hours. Grabbing his black cloak, the one she had given him in Egzardia, Hitomi walked quietly through the palace and outside.

With all her thoughts consumed by Folken and Celena, Hitomi didn't even notice Van coming from the opposite direction until he called out to her. "Hitomi!" he greeted cheerfully. "Where are you off to?"

"Van?" Hitomi pushed back the hood of the cloak, surprised that he had been able to recognize her. But then again, perhaps her distractions kept her from focusing on an image to conceal herself. She shook the thoughts out of her head. "I just thought I'd go visit Allen and Celena. I haven't seem them around the palace in awhile."

"That's nice of you." Van looked around, and his expression turned a little worried. "Are you going alone?"

"Yeah. Folken's sick, so I made him stay in bed." She smiled and shrugged. "I'm really hoping Celena's not."

Van returned the smile. "I guess I'll come along then. Someone like you shouldn't be wandering around Palas all alone, especially with all these disturbances." He gave her a knowing look, reminding her of a certain banquet not so long past.

"What do you mean 'someone like me'?" Hitomi snapped defensively. "Just because I'm a girl I can't take care of myself?"

"No, no." Van held up his hands. "I mean someone as important as you. You know what those rebels are saying about you being a 'guiding goddess'. You should really have someone to protect you in case they try to ambush you or something." He shrugged.

"That's very offensive," Hitomi said in a stern voice, but she couldn't help smiling at the thought. "Cute, but very offensive."

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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Please review! I'll try to have a chapter next Friday.


	14. Life For Rent

Well, readers, I'm in quite a bind. I've been looking for a new job recently, and I got two very good offers. All the pros and cons of both outweigh each job to the point where neither one is better than the other. So, how's 'bout we take a poll:) Those who think I should take the more enjoyable job say Job D, those who think I should take the better paying job say Job T. Leave a review stating your choice. Lmao, I'm just kidding. Even if I do get results on my "poll," it wouldn't be one of the things I consider when choosing my next job. I'm just struggling to have a decision within two days, or I could end up with no job at all. 

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Life For Rent" song lyrics are property of Dido, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ — Chapter 14: Life For Rent**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"But if my life is for rent,  
And I don't learn to buy,  
Well, I deserve,  
Nothing more than I get,  
'Cause nothing I have,  
Is truly mine . . ."_  
-Dido, "Life For Rent"

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Celena took a breath of icy cold air and exhaled it in a thick mist. It was still early in the afternoon, but the sky darkened by clouds seemed more like evening. The rain had stopped while she and Allen were talking, though it looked like it could easily start again as they stepped outside to the wet, sweet-smelling yard. She shivered a little in her heavy overcoat, hugging its fur-lined collar closer around her neck. In order to keep her from ruining any of her nice dresses in the mud, Allen had allowed her to wear a pair of black trousers and a cream-colored shirt.

Celena stepped off the patio and onto the wide flagstones that made up the decorative path snaking through the private back lawn. Allen came out and watched her from the steps. A small smile crept across his face as she leapt from one imaginative stepping stone to the next.

/I love being outside!./ she said happily. /I love the smell of the air, and the feel of the wind, and even the cold weather when there's no sunshine./

/./That's wonderful././ Dilandau commented in a bitter voice.

/What's wrong? You were in such a good mood when we were inside./

Dilandau sighed. /./Celena, I'm bored—do you get that? I'm so bored I could just about go mad. There is nothing to _do_ around here././

/I know. Between taking lessons and practicing my 'ladylike behavior' at the court, life feels completely meaningless./

/./No, you don't understand././ Dilandau sounded frustrated. /./You can get up, and walk around, and talk to people, and eat, and drink, and. . . ././ He trailed off. /./You get the point././

Celena stopped moving to give Dilandau the benefit of her full attention. /Dilandau, I know how you feel/ she insisted empathically, but she couldn't manage to connect with his feelings the way he kept pushing her back. /I remember what it was like to be trapped inside your mind when _you_ were free to walk around./

/./Except that it didn't bother _you_ because you couldn't remember what it was like to have a body before you woke up in my mind././ Dilandau countered. /./I remember! I remember being able to experience life for myself instead of getting it second-hand through your consciousness././

A worry line appeared on Celena's forehead that Allen noticed, but she stayed quiet and turned away from him, hoping he wouldn't come to confront her.

/./I'm sick of being confined this way././ Dilandau continued. /./I haven't been able to stretch my legs for _three long months._/./ He heaved a long sigh. /./I know I don't actually _have_ legs anymore, but I know what it felt like when I did, and I miss that feeling so much. I get restless because I can't control the things that happen to you—and me—and lately, I haven't been able to think of anything else. It's just about to drive me insane././

Dilandau's agitation spread through Celena's nerves with each breath, and she rubbed her hands together subconsciously. It was obvious that he'd been feeling this way for a long time. As often as several times a day, he would complain about how bored he was, even when they were busy. It was as if he'd lost all interest in live, and it had taken Celena weeks to figure it out. If Allen hadn't been watching her, she would have slapped herself for being so ignorant.

/Dilandau./ she started, tentative. /I'm so sorry. Believe me, I feel absolutely terrible about this. I wish there was something I could do to make up for it./

/./There is. Let me be free././

/What . . .?./ Celena asked again, hardly daring to believe what she'd heard.

/./You heard././

/That's . . . that's impossible. I could never put you in danger like that./

/./What danger? I can take care of myself just fine././

/You're the one who's been so worried about Allen finding out about you./

Dilandau groaned. /./I don't care about that anymore. You were right all along—it was just paranoia././

/Dilandau, please!./ Desperation she couldn't hide filled Celena's visage. /I can't let you make a mistake like this./

/./Celena, I told you, I can't take it anymore!././ he cried. /./You don't understand!././

/I do!./ Celena insisted. Hot, frustrated tears that didn't belong to her rolled down her cheeks. /I'm begging you, don't do something rash! We can work this out!./

/./No, I have to get out of this _now_!././

With only a moment's hesitation, he reached out to the bridge between their two separate minds. It was as if a pair of frozen hands grabbed a part of her head that Celena couldn't warm up, a feeling like the beginning of a migraine, when nothing would stop this pain from consuming all her senses. Celena clasped her hands over her skull and screamed in blood-chilling torment. She tightened her fingers into fists and grasped handfuls of hair, pulling at them with all her strength. She struggled without fruit to create enough pain outside her body to distract her from what was going on within.

"Celena!" Allen leapt down from the patio and dashed across the lawn to her.

Violent shakes overtook her body, and Celena dropped in a writhing heap into the mud and grass. She curled into a fetal ball the moment she hit the ground, her screams only pausing long enough for her to draw a quick breath. Different parts of her body twisted and pinched together in all the wrong directions, her fear making her dizzy. The ground dipped and dove around her in a feverish haze, and even though the air was cold, perspiration appeared on her forehead.

"Celena!" Allen called, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Celena, what is it!"

"Go away!" she screamed, her words only half intelligible, clawing with sharp nails at her face. "Go away! Don't look at me!"

He struggled to keep her down. "Celena!"

/Dilandau . . ./ Celena forced her mind to focus, thought it caused the pain to worsen. /I'm not . . . letting . . . you do this/

/./Don't fight me, Celena!././

/Dilandau/ She stopped screaming and gasped loudly for air, her lungs failing her. The pain kept her from thinking, but one impulse was automatic in her mind: get away from Allen _now_. With a sudden violent jerk, Celena shoved her brother aside and leapt to her feet, tearing recklessly into the forest. As she crashed into some tall bushes and fell off balance, she caught a look back and saw Allen already on his feet coming after her.

/Dilandau . . . please!./

/./Don't fight me!././

Celena's foot fell into a hidden divot and she stumbled, barreling through some underbrush and down a shallow embankment into a muddy road right at the feet of two travelers.

Someone—a woman, by the sound of the voice—gasped. "Celena!"

"Don't look at me!" Celena shrieked, barely registering that it was Hitomi.

The two people dropped down on either side of her.

"What the hell's wrong with her!" A man—who for some reason sounded like Van—asked.

"God, I have no idea. Celena!" Hitomi reached out to her, but Celena forced her back.

She covered her head with her arms. "Go away . . .!"

"Hitomi!" Allen ran down the embankment and fell distraught beside Celena. "I don't know what's happening to her! She just suddenly started screaming!"

/./Stop fighting me!././

"Don't look at me . . .!" Celena's voice was barely above a hoarse whisper, but still frantic. She couldn't seem to catch her breath anymore. Her heart beat faster and faster, blocking out pain, speech, and even thought. "I can't . . . hold . . ."

Darkness rushed over her as Celena suddenly went limp, and as it came in, everything else went out—the ache of her body, the sight of the road, the smell of rain in the air, the sounds all around her, the taste of blood in her mouth as she bit her tongue. For a moment, she felt deadened, the sensation one has in a soundproof box.

Then, as Dilandau opened his eyes—which momentarily flickered between blue and red—sensation flooded back to Celena . . . but skewed somehow. She could see everything Dilandau saw, feel everything he felt, but somehow these senses were stale, second-hand. They were everything that went through Dilandau's mind not even a split-second before they reached Celena. Even though he was feeling the exact same things she had felt only a minute ago, now those things had lost their original flavor, like milk just past its expiration date.

Allen was the first to speak, and his voice was more timid and full of worry than anyone had ever heard it. "Celena . . .?"

The voice that replied was smooth and velvety, a voice most unlike Celena's. "I told you not to look at me." Supporting himself on shaking arms, Dilandau pushed himself to his feet. The squish of the mud under his hands did not seem quite natural to Celena. It was at that point that she fully realized what had happened.

"Oh, God," Hitomi whispered.

/No, no, no/ Celena prayed fervently. /Please, Jichia, spare him. Don't harm Dilandau./

Dilandau straightened, breathing deeply. He stared up at the sky, drinking in everything he had missed in the last three months as Hitomi, Allen, and Van looked on in disbelief. /./Spare me. I'm going to be fine././

If she could have, Celena would have broken into tears, just so everyone could see them fall from Dilandau's eyes. But there was such a lack of empathy in him that no emotion of hers would ever show though on his face.

Again, Allen was the first to break the silence. "Who are you?" he demanded in a cold, quiet voice, trying to hide his apprehension. "What have you done to my sister?"

Dilandau started to laugh. "Melodramatic as always, I see. I guess it doesn't matter who you're looking at—you act the same way all the time." Without hesitation, he turned and faced Allen with an all-too-familiar smirk.

Allen's eyes narrowed. "Dilandau." He didn't let any more emotion show on his face. "I thought you died in Zaibach with the rest of the empire's trash."

"You wish that, don't you?"

"Where's Celena?"

"Wouldn't you love to know?" Dilandau shot back in mockery. He looked past Allen to Hitomi and Van. "And who else would tag along behind the knight but the poor little King of Fanelia and his girlfriend from the Mystic Moon? Why, the nostalgia is killing me."

"Dilandau, please." Unfazed, Hitomi struggled to her feet and stood just a few inches shorter than him. "What have you done with Celena?"

The smirk wiped off Dilandau's face unexpectedly, catching Hitomi by surprise. "She's gone, and it might be a very long time before you see her again."

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . . **

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Yeah, you can still feel free to leave your poll results. Job D or Job T. :) Or you can just give me a review anyway. Please review!


	15. Not Enough

**Dear Readers:** Wow, the reaction from the last chapter was amazing. I was hoping something like that might happen when I wrote it, but nothing to this scale. I'm glad y'all love me so much. :) By now you must all realize that nothing good involving Dilandau can last. He has to ruin it somehow, lol.

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Not Enough" song lyrics are property of Flaw, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"_ — Chapter 15: Not Enough**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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_"Please give back what is not yours to have,  
It's the only thing that I've got left,  
Never was enough to satisfy,  
And I'm left empty . . ."_  
-Flaw, "Not Enough"

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Ever so slowly, Van drew his sword, his eyes following Dilandau. The smooth blade emerged from the sheath with a sharp ring, echoing among the quiet, falling raindrops. The four people in the muddy road felt that soft patter on their heads, but did not pay it heed. They watched, spellbound and awestruck, each a different thought, but all full of wonder. Van hardened his expression, trying to keep as much of his surprise and confusion a secret from Dilandau. His grip on the sword's hilt tightened.

Next to him, Hitomi saw it. "No," she commanded sternly, holding a hand out in front of him. "I don't want you to fight, Van."

Van ignored her, working his feet into the mud until he was sure he was stable. A minute ago, he stood over Celena Schezar, listening to her scream in torment until everything went silent and it was Dilandau Albatou whose next words came from her mouth. How it happened, Van didn't know. Frankly, he didn't _want_ to know. Dilandau was supposed to be dead, crushed in the rubble of the fallen Zaibach empire—and here he was, alive all these months inside Celena.

"Dilandau," Hitomi started, somehow readily accepting this sudden revelation, "why did you break your promise?" Her tone was knowing.

Dilandau turned to her. "What are you talking about?" His question didn't fool anyone; there was no sincerity in his words.

"You told Celena that this life was hers to live," said Hitomi. "As long as she wanted it, you promised to repay her for all the years you stole. You gave her your _word_, Dilandau. Does that mean anything to you?"

Dilandau held her gaze in all seriousness for a moment, but before he could answer, Allen did so for him.

"Of course not," said the knight. His voice was low, but quickly rose in intensity with each word he spoke. "What would Zaibach trash like _him_ ever know about honor? What would he know about dignity?" Allen crossed his arms, all muscles tense. "On what worth would you base _his_ promises!"

"Allen, please." Hitomi grabbed his arm. "I know you're upset, but promise me you'll hear him out. _Your_ word's worth that, right?"

"Hardly," Allen murmured under his breath.

Allen's rage brought a familiar smirk to Dilandau's face. "When I gave Celena that promise, I expected _her_ to give _me_ the respect I deserve as well. _I_ gave up _my_ only chance to live just so she could come back to her pointless existence here. If she really thought that came without a price, then she was sorely mistaken." He held up his hands with a helpless shrug. "Everything in this world has its price, and she had to learn that."

These words did little more for Van than to confuse him further, and he was already frustrated by this beyond comment. Whatever had happened between Dilandau and Celena these past months seemed right off the deep end, and where Hitomi fit into it all only made the puzzle more intricate. The whole souls-sharing-a-body bit seemed too crazy to believe—that _was_ what all this equaled up to, wasn't it? Dilandau and Celena being two halves of the same person? Of course, there was no way to get answers. Every word out of Dilandau's mouth only raised more questions.

Unwittingly, Van shifted his balance and crouched in a fighter's stance, holding his sword out before him. Contrary to anything else, he still knew one thing: Dilandau was a murdering scourge, and Van had sworn long ago to make him pay for what he did to Fanelia.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dilandau noticed the movement and turned his attention to Van. "You _still_ want to kill me?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

"You destroyed my home," said Van. The lives of hundreds of his countrymen had been squandered in a meaningless fire that even now served to ignite fury in the young king's heart. "When I heard you died in Zaibach, I prayed it wasn't true. I wanted to kill you with my own hands."

Dilandau started to laugh. "How long have you been waiting to say that to me?"

"Too long."

Dilandau cocked his head to the side, looking Van up and down, and one side of his mouth twitched upward in a smile. "You look like you've gone soft waiting." He paused. "Soft_er_. You can't seriously want to fight me."

Van opened his mouth to speak, but Hitomi cut him off. "Van, stop provoking him," she scolded, stepping between the king and Dilandau just in case. 

"Don't worry, he's not," said Dilandau. "I can't imagine anyone getting offended over such pathetic drivel. . . ." He trailed off, looking almost thoughtful. "But I _want_ to fight. I miss kicking the King of Fanelia's ass."

"Funny, I remember that being the other way around." Van smiled as his words wiped away Dilandau's smug expression. He automatically touched the scar on his cheek carved from the sword Van held before him.

"We'll have to see about that, won't we?" he replied. "But alas, I don't have a weapon. I suppose we'll have to wait for another day. After all, where's the glory in striking down an unarmed opponent? _If_ you succeed in striking me down," he added on second thought.

Van hesitated. Sixteen years of sword training told him never to attack an unarmed man, regardless of what scum he might be. His swordmaster, Balgus, had been particularly pertinent in embedding a sense of honor in the young prince.

"The honorable thing to do would be to let you find a weapon." Allen spoke in a slow, patient voice that Van could tell was forced. "But what makes you think you deserve that? Did you give Celena the chance to defend herself before you killed her?"

Dilandau's red eyes snapped over to Allen, giving him a fiery glare. It was strange, Van noticed. Any time conversation switched to Celena, Dilandau suddenly turned serious. There was apparently more to their mixed-up relationship than Van knew.

"I didn't kill her, you stupid bastard," Dilandau insisted. "I just made her go away for a while."

"You have no idea what you've done!" Allen snapped, threatening the young albino in a blind rage. Van had seen Allen angry before, especially when conversation concerned his family, but never like this. Never with such passion that he forgot himself. "Celena barely had a chance to start her life over when _you_ stole it again. Think about what you did to her. You have _no idea_ how she's suffered."

"Idiot knight," Dilandau spat. "It's _you_ who has no idea how much Celena suffered, and how much I suffered. How can you even _consider_ claiming that _I_ know nothing about Celena? I have seen things in the darkest corners of her mind that she will never tell you about. She didn't even tell you about _me_."

"Maybe with good reason! She was obviously so scared of you that she did everything you wanted her to!"

Clenching his fists, Dilandau pushed Hitomi roughly aside and strode up to Allen. "You think I wanted this?" he yelled, shoving the knight back. "If Celena did everything I wanted, do you think I'd have come _here_? Do you think I'd let her put me through _this_? If I had that kind of control, I'd have made sure you always thought she was dead."

Allen stumbled, knocked back by both words and motions. Hitomi's words kept him from doing anything irrational—that is, until Dilandau came to the end of his tirade. So emotionally ravaged by now, Allen couldn't come back with anything but a swift punch connecting with Dilandau's jaw that sent him reeling into the mud.

Dilandau sat up and touched the place Allen hit him. "You want to fight me, then?" he asked, pushing his jaw back into place. "You want to do the dishonorable thing, Knight Caeli, and kill an unarmed man?" He held his arms out. "Well, go ahead. You'll never have a better chance."

Allen scowled, staring down at Dilandau for a moment. The world seemed to hold its breath. Then, he took a step forward.

"Allen, no!" Hitomi dashed past Dilandau and stood in front of the knight. "You can't kill him!"

"And why not? He can't expect to kill my sister and get away with it!" Allen yelled over her shoulder, his words directed more at Dilandau than Hitomi. "Even if it's a dishonorable death, he _will_ die tonight!"

Dilandau started to laugh. "By gods, I knew you were ignorant, but I didn't know you were _this_ bad."

"Allen, Celena isn't dead!" Hitomi insisted, taking both Allen's hands in hers. "But if you kill Dilandau, she will be!"

"Impossible!" Allen shook his head. "There's just no way! Listen to yourself, Hitomi. He's got you so turned around you have no idea what you're saying anymore."

"What? Dilandau hasn't—"

"Not Dilandau—Folken. You must have gotten this stupid idea from him," Allen insisted. "You don't even know that he's taking advantage of you, do you? Your judgment used to be so much better than this. Why, if there was one thing I never thought I'd have to worry about with you, it was that you'd be fooled into believing someone like _him_ had good intentions." Allen's expression softened into pity. "What did he do to you when he kidnapped you? Why do you think you have to keep up this charade that you're in love?"

Disbelief was etched in every inch of Hitomi's visage. Van shifted uneasily where he stood detached from the action. He wanted to reach out to Hitomi and tell her anything that would make that hurt look vanish. But watching her with Allen seemed painfully surreal. No matter how much he wanted to change the events that passed, there was nothing he can do.

Hitomi backed away slowly, staring right through Allen. "I _am_ in love," she insisted, obviously without a doubt in her mind. "How can you say that?"

Allen reached out to her, but Hitomi shied away. "Talk to me, Hitomi, please," he begged.

"You _are_ pathetic," Dilandau laughed. "You can't even get the girl you used to love to trust you now."

Allen shot Dilandau a menacing glare. "This is all the fault of Zaibach."

Dilandau laughed harder. "That's your excuse for everything."

"Both of you, just stop!" Hitomi shouted. "Allen, go home. Dilandau, you're coming back to the palace with me and Van."

"You think that, huh?"

"Get up!"

"Hitomi, you can't take that murderer with you," Allen warned.

"I can, and will." Hitomi pivoted around and started purposefully in the direction of the palace. Van watched her for a moment, stunned. Suddenly he was seeing a whole new side to Hitomi, an independent side she certainly hadn't possessed before she left Palas. This Hitomi didn't seem to want anyone making decisions for her anymore, nor telling her what to think or how to feel. Shaking his head, Van sheathed his sword and followed after.

Dilandau got up, giving Allen a rude gesture. "See you around, knight. Maybe next time we meet you'll have the guts to finish what you started. Wouldn't want to dishonor Celena, would you?"

Allen clenched his fists, but all the honor and dignity left in him barely kept his hands at his sides as Dilandau turned and walked away.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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**Anime Oasis!**

Well, readers, this will probably be the last update between now and after Anime Oasis (March 25-27). Yes, after missing it last year, I'll finally be able to go to my second real anime convention (and this one of noteworthy size). Yay! I pity all you all who aren't anywhere near a con (or have never been). I've been saving money, and aim to get myself many bishi plushies:) Seriously, this is way better than spring break at Cancun. Anime! Whoo, now I'm excited!

**Note:** Van has already turned sixteen, seeing as his birthday is in spring. "Broken" takes place during the fall-winter months, and he's several months older than Hitomi. Just to clarify.


	16. A Cruel Angel\'s Thesis

Many people may be sad to know that I am not dead (sorry folks, keep dreaming), and in fact have decided to continue this poor story. Why? Not a damn clue.

**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "Not Enough" song lyrics are property of Flaw, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"—_Chapter 16: A Cruel Angel's Thesis**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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"_Wake up your life,  
You may never get the chance to make things right,  
Rather than lie,  
Take a moment to reflect on what's gone by,  
It's a mistake,  
There's no reason I should be so full of guilt,  
Significant break,  
So you severed all the ties that we have built . . ."_

Flaw, "Not Enough"

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Folken lay on the sofa with his arms crossed behind his head, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Dusk had fallen over the city of Palas, but the prevalent clouds masked the sky and the usual beautiful sunset with a gloomy cover of rain. He listened to the gentle plink, plink, plink of rain tapping on glass window panes and waited for something to happen. Hours had passed—long, tiresome, _boring_ hours—and still Hitomi had not returned.

He sighed. Without Hitomi around, he didn't know what to do with himself. When they lived on the Zaibach border (how long ago _that_ was), there was always something to do—repairs to the broken-down farmhouse, travels to a nearby village to buy food, or simply spending time together. It was work, but with purpose. However, now that they lived in Asturia in the country's richest household, all of those tasks were taken care of by servants, even Hitomi's happiness. He was no longer necessary.

Folken rolled his head to the side and looked out the window. _I'm not jealous_, he told himself again, even though he knew that he was. Everything was different in Asturia, including Hitomi. The only one who hadn't changed, it seemed, was him. _No,_ Folken thought, _she isn't different_; _she's the same person she's always been . . . _Try as he might, he couldn't convince himself that this was true. _She acts more now the way she did when she interrupted me in the library and lost her necklace . . . as if she didn't even know me any more._

_She really _has _become a different person, the person she used to be before she met me. _That person was the one who had tried to protect her friends by running away from them, the one who put aside all thoughts of herself for others, for Van, Millerna, and Allen. How could he have forgotten about them? He and Hitomi would never have met if she hadn't been thinking of them first.

Folken closed his eyes and expelled a frustrated sigh. _I have to stop thinking like this. I knew she would want to come back here eventually—why wouldn'' she want to reunite with the friends she gave up everything to protect? _He opened his eyes and looked around. Of course, Hitomi still wasn't there.

"Gods, where could she be?" he asked aloud, even though he knew there was no one in the room to reply. "I _knew _I shouldn't have let her go anywhere alone," Folken went on as he sat up, "I don't feel sick—" and world rushed against him with the sudden movement. "—Not that sick."

He pressed a hand to his forehead and turned to the fire, which was burning cheerfully to drive off the winter chill that leaked through the stone palace walls. The way this sickness had come out the blue disturbed him, and he had to keep reminding himself that it was most likely nothing. People got sick all the time, and these symptoms didn't necessarily mean the same thing was happening to him again. He was thinking too much into things again, as Hitomi kept accusing him. He promptly put the thought out of mind, crossing his arms and looking around at the rest of the room instead.

"This is it," he said. "This is what life is going to be like from now on." The thought made him even more depressed. Folken scowled. "Days without sun in a country ruled by an aging tyrant. Reminds me of the last place I used to live. I don't understand why Hitomi tried so hard to save this place. All said and done, Aston isn't much different from Dornkirk. He just doesn't have the _means_ to control more than this little country."

He walked over to the window. Rain rushed in sheets down the smooth panes, distorting the view of the cityscape. "Hitomi was right about fate, though. It doesn't matter if someone controls it, or if it's left to its own devices—it goes in the same direction anyway. Gaea is headed to the same end no matter how it gets there. People are going to fight, rape and kill until there's nothing left."

A heavy silence passed over the room, and Folken suddenly realized what hed said. He stood stricken, watching the rain fall. Since the day the empire was destroyed, the day Hitomi told him she loved him, he'd struggled to shut away that malicious nature. But how easy it was to slip back into that mind without even knowing it.

Folken shook his head. _I can't keep thinking this way or something bad is bound to happen. Aston may be the same as Dornkirk, but that doesn't mean someone can't make him listen to reason. _He looked out the window in silence for several minutes, lost in contemplation. _I guess that's why that rebel wanted Hitomi's help so badly. She could make Aston listen—I don't doubt it. She isn't a goddess, but she certainly has the influence of one. _

Night fell, but still the rain did not stop. According to spiritualists, days like this were fateful days. Folken had the good fortune of knowing a few of these windbags while working in Zaibach, men who loved to make vague predictions to please Emperor Dornkirk. He could imagine what they would say about the Girl from the Mystic Moon on this day—"the heavens weep," they'd claim, "because Gaea stole their favorite daughter, and Gaea will soon rape her of all her glorious innocence—"

Fortunately, the spiritualists' prediction was cut short as the door slammed open behind him and Folken whirled around. All the unfavorable thoughts left his mind when he saw Hitomi and Van in the doorway with Millerna supported between them, her arms over their shoulders. They were all drenched with rain, panting, and Millerna shook uncontrollably.

'Help,' Hitomi mouthed breathlessly as she and Van struggled to keep Millerna on her feet.

Folken rushed forward to take Hitomi's place, but the princess scowled and pushed him away. "I don't need help from the likes of you," she spat, her voice hoarse.

Folken took a step back. "What the hell _happened_?" he asked, staring at Millerna as she shoved her support away and staggered toward the fireside, falling forward onto the sofa.

Hitomi steadied herself with her hands against her legs, shaking her head. Van rubbed his aching shoulders and straightened, looking at the princess. "That's exactly what _I'd _like to know. What in hell is going on?"

Millerna lifted her head and swore profusely at him. Van and Folken shared looks of amazement that the princess even_ knew _so many words, never mind that she normally didn't even swear under her breath.

Folken walked over to Hitomi and placed a hand on her back. "Are you all right?"

Hitomi nodded, straightening. "Take that off," she said to Millerna. "The cloak. After what you did to Celena, I should have just left you for some Asturian guard to find."

Millerna sat up, scowling with a proud, very princess-like look on her face, and said nothing.

"Or then again, maybe I should just let you keep it and ask someone to escort you back to Allen's house," Hitomi continued in a threatening voice Folken had never heard her use. "I'm sure he'd love to know more about yours and Celena's little secret."

Still silent, Millerna pushed back the dripping hood, undid the clasp, and flung the black cloak to the floor. Millerna's image unwrapped with the fabric and revealed Dilandau behind its mask, his face set with an expression identical to the one the princess wore.

"They switched," said Folken.

"Celena . . . and _Dilandau_ . . . switch?" Van stared at Dilandau in disbelief, his lip curling in disgust.

"They're two different souls sharing the same body," Hitomi explained, her eyes always on Dilandau. He didn't do anything. "While one of them is in control, the other is still conscious in their mind at the same time, and they can switch places that way. Celena told me."

"Not that it's any of your business," Dilandau added. "Or anyone's."

Van stared at him, looking sickened. "That's messed up."

Dilandau sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, if that's the way you feel, Van, now would be an opportune time for you to leave."

Hitomi let out a tired breath and leaned against Folken, closing her eyes. He put his arm around her waist. Van shut his mouth and stood his ground. Dilandau's scowl deepened.

"What kind of stupid mistake did you make this time, Dilandau?" Folken asked in exasperation. "Didn't you say you'd try a little harder to make things work if someone ever gave you a second chance?"

Dilandau turned to Folken and stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smirked. "Me? Sounds more like something Celena would say. Maybe you should be talking to her about all this, since she was the one who made the mistake to mess with me. But, oh wait." His smile widened. "You can't."

"Maybe you should let her go so we can," Van threatened, one hand on the hilt of his sword.

Dilandau noticed and laughed. "You'd like that. But, you know I'd never agree to do anything _you_ liked."

"Dilandau, please," Hitomi started, her eyes still closed. "We mean well; we're just concerned about Celena."

"Of course you are, but I don't care." Dilandau yawned, struggling to his feet, his legs still shaking beneath him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be."

Hitomi opened her eyes as he walked over to the door. "No, you don't. Without Celena, you have no one."

"I know." He looked Hitomi up and down, as if examining her for the first time, then smirked. "That's why _I_ can go anywhere I want."

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Late that night, hours after both Dilandau and Van finally left, Hitomi lay awake in bed, staring outside at the sky where a few stars shone through broken patches of the thick cloud cover. Folken was asleep on the couch by the dying fire, but Hitomi couldn't seem to keep her eyes closed. She rolled over and over under the covers in a restless fit, trying to find a comfortable position that didn't exist.

Finally, she got up and snuck outside to a small circular courtyard with a fountain where she could always get her mind off of things. A bitter feeling of nostalgia passed over Hitomi as she started out in a slow jog, trying to keep away the memory of the bright stars that past summer night and the man watching her from the shadows. After a few laps, she fell into a steady rhythm, thinking no further than the heavy beating of her heart, the burn of the cold air in her lungs. Among the things she didn't notice was that there _was _a man watching her, but not the one who had been there before.

"Hitomi?"

Hitomi stopped with a jolt and looked up to see Van leaning against one of the pillars. "You scared me," she gasped, sitting down at the fountain's edge to catch her breath.

"What are you doing out here so late?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Mmm." He rolled his shoulders in a tired motion and walked out into the open yard. "Neither could I."

"What made you decide to come out _here_?" asked Hitomi. "I thought I was the only one who knew about this place."

"It was pretty hard to find, believe me," Van replied, casting a pitiable look in her direction. "I remembered you mentioning it once before, so I thought I'd go look for it since I had nothing else to do. I had no idea the palace was so big! It doesn't look that bad from the outside, but inside, it's a hive."

Hitomi laughed a little and nodded. "I know exactly how you feel. The only reason I ever found this place was by accident. I just wanted to get away from everybody . . ." She stopped short.

Van nodded silently.

Unwilling to discuss the topic, Hitomi changed the subject. "Van, why haven't you gone back to Fanelia yet?"

Van looked at her in surprise, as if he'd expected her to forget his plans to restore his home. "Well," he started, shifting uncomfortably. "It's a long story. You don't want to hear it."

"Sure I do," Hitomi assured him. "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

Van stood in silence for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts, while Hitomi thought nothing of his hesitation.

"Well," he finally said. "With the war, there's been a shortage of supplies, you know? And people who can work and rebuild things. And I don't know where my people are, anyway." Nervousness was evident in his short, broken sentences and the way he wouldn't look at Hitomi when he spoke. "A lot of them lost their lives in that first attack. But I'm sure there are more out there like Merle who got away in time. But I don't know where they are. So, I thought I'd wait in Asturia until I could find some workers and take them back to Fanelia with me. And then . . ." Van trailed off, glancing at Hitomi for the first time and realizing she wasn't buying it.

Hitomi smiled reassuringly. "Hey, you don't have to make up stories with me. I'm not judging you."

"Yeah." Ashamed, he turned away again. "I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I can tell you about anything . . . right?"

She nodded. "Anything at all."

Van looked down at the ground, then up at the sky, his face filling with distress again. He stood like that for a long time, enough to make Hitomi start worrying too.

_He must be keeping a really important secret or something, _she thought. _I know he knows he can tell me anything—I'm not like all the people on this planet who get so upset when things aren't the way they thought they were. _Her mind wandered toward Allen and the things he said to her that afternoon. She always knew he disapproved of her love for Folken, from the minute she first saw him when he arrived to meet her return in the courtyard—_this _courtyard.

"You know what?" Hitomi said suddenly, breaking the silence. "A lot of important stuff has happened in this courtyard." She smiled. "For some reason, whenever I come out here, something happens that changes my life. There must be something special about this place." She leaned back and looked up at the stars. "You know, this might be the only time I've ever come here that something important _hasn't _happened."

She wanted her casual comment to relax the atmosphere around them and comfort Van enough for him to tell her what was troubling him. But all it seemed to do was make him even more reluctant. Hitomi sighed with inward frustration. _I'm really not good at this consoling thing. Helping people really isn't my strong spot._

"Okay," said Van suddenly. "I'll tell you the truth." He took a deep breath. "There really _has_ been a shortage of supplies and workers since the war ended, but that's not really the reason I stayed in Asturia. I was . . ." A flush rose to his cheeks. "I was waiting for you to come back."

"Oh, of course," Hitomi said brightly, nodding in agreement. "I forgot; I still had Escaflowne, and you needed it, didn't you?"

"No, it's not just that . . ." Van trailed off and looked away, back in contemplation. Hitomi was about to settle into another period of pointless musing when he suddenly blurted out, "Hitomi, I love you."

Musing wasn't too pointless after that.

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Review if you want, but I think my original readers have all gone on to better things.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . .**

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	17. Lady Hypocrisy

I got reviews out of the blue this week for "Anywhere" and "Broken," so here I am updating again. You guys really don't wanna see this story die, do you? nn Well, this time is when Hitomi _finally _meets Moore. Yay! Anyways, reviews are always appreciated. They're the sole reason this fic gets updated, lol. This is actually one of my favorite scenes in this fic (aside from the Rain Sequence, which you'll see later). nn**  
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**Disclaimer:** _Tenkuu no Escaflowne_ is property of Bandai and Sunrise, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, and am not making a profit by writing this novel. Any similarities between my work and that of any other fan-author is purely coincidental. "So Far Away" song lyrics are property of Staind, all rights reserved.

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**_"Broken"—_Chapter 17: Lady Hypocrisy**

By The Last Princess of Hyrule

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"_Now that we're here,  
It's so far away,  
All the struggle we thought was in vain,  
All the mistakes,  
One life contained,  
They all finally start to go away,  
Now that we're here it's so far away,  
And I feel like I can face the day,  
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed,  
To be the person that I am today . . ."_  
-Staind, "So Far Away"

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Hitomi didn't get much sleep that night, and she headed to the shelter early the next morning when the sun was just barely starting to rise. The city streets were blanketed in icy mist from last night's rain, and it brought an extra chill to the already frigid atmosphere. She wrapped her jacket around herself tightly as she walked through the streets, resolving to talk to Millerna about warm clothes when she returned to the palace.

Palas in summertime and Palas in winter seemed like two alternate realities Hitomi noticed as she walked down the street. In the summer, every open space was cluttered with merchants, stalls, and shoppers, everything bustling with noise and activity. Maybe it was the cold weather, or the depression left behind from the last Zaibach attack on the city, or perhaps a combination of both that left the streets abandoned. Well, almost. Huddled against buildings or beneath overhangs, large families of homeless people wrapped in layers of tattered cloths tried to stay warm. Hitomi passed these people as quickly as she could, trying not to look at them on the side of the street. With the sudden cold weather, their attempts were often times fruitless.

Hitomi tried not to think about how all these people once had homes, families, and average lives. They went to work, ate supper together in the evening, made friends, and fell in love. All these people were the ones she once thought about when she feared the impact of her powers should they ever get out of her control, and now these were the people she tried to avoid, as if pretending they didn't exist would make that reality. As much as she wanted to today of all days, Hitomi couldn't escape that this was reality, and if she wanted experience again the way of life she tried to preserve by leaving Asturia, she had to accept it. After all, acceptance is the first step to recovery.

So absorbed by her heavy thoughts, Hitomi climbed the stairs to the shelter, and didn't even notice the man sitting out on the steps until she walked right into him.

"You want to watch where you're going, you crazy woman?" he snapped as she stumbled back. As he looked up at her with an unmistakable salt-and-pepper beard and a hard, heavily lined face, Hitomi suddenly recognized him as one of the rebels from the night of the banquet.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, taking a cautious step back. She remembered the way he threw open the doors to the Great Hall and rushed inside, leading his rebels with confidence and determination. She didn't even know his name, but Hitomi knew he was a competent man that demanded respect.

The bearded man got to his feet in a slow, tired fashion. "I've been waiting for you, Lady Hitomi." He scowled. "Guiding goddess." There was disdain in these last two words, evidence that he didn't believe this presumption.

"You're that rebel," Hitomi pointed out nervously, wishing she hadn't as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "The one with that man that threatened King Aston at the banquet."

"Yes, I'm 'that rebel.' The one that made the stupid mistake of letting Sansom talk to the King." His scowl deepened. "I'd prefer if you called me Moore."

Hitomi nodded, unable to speak.

The rebel raised an eyebrow, looking down at her from his six-foot height with light gray eyes that weren't at all frightening. "Some goddess you are, if you're scared of _me_."

"I'm not a goddess," she told him timidly.

"That's obvious. Sansom insists you are, but he listens to too much gossip. You can't believe much of what he says, but he's a brilliant strategist and a good leader."

"Umm . . ." He looked like he expected an answer, but Hitomi didn't know what to say.

"Idol worship—why, oh why, do we let it influence our ideas?" Moore threw his hands up in the air in a hopeless fashion. "I don't even know why I thought this crazy plan might work in the first place. You obviously haven't done any of the things they say you've done for Gaea." He shoved roughly past her and stalked down the stairs.

Hitomi's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute!" she shouted at him before she was fully aware of what she was doing. "I'm not your miserable goddess, but how can you say I haven't done anything for Gaea? I've done more for this planet than you ever will."

Moore stopped. "You really think that? You know, my lady, while you hide inside that clean, white palace, the people you _say _you saved are dying out here. I was watching you walk down that street, and you tried to turn a blind eye to all this. And yet, here you are at the shelter, trying to do some good. If you ask me, that's awfully hypocritical of you."

"And what about you? Fighting to bring an end to fighting." Hitomi frowned down at him from the top of the stairs. Suddenly, the sight of this rough-and-tumble rebel wasn't frightening at all. "You're trying to convince King Aston to save lives by threatening to take his. When it comes to hypocrisy, I think you and I are on the same level."

They glared at each other for a long minute, eyes locked. After the day before and everything that had happened, Hitomi wasn't about to let another man make her feel worthless. Sometimes you couldn't wait for someone to solve your troubles for you, you couldn't wait for someone to come save you—sometimes you had to learn to do these things yourself. Her time on Gaea had taught her that.

Then, Moore's hard expression softened a bit and he looked pensive. "You know, maybe there _is _more to you than meets the eye. Sansom certainly seemed to think so." He paused, folding his arms and rubbing his beard with one hand. "Maybe we should continue this conversation inside." He stepped back up the stairs and shoved through one of the shelter doors. Hitomi followed him.

Inside, no one noticed their presence. Most of the refugees were asleep in their cots under miserable tattered blankets, and only a couple volunteer attendants walked between the many rows, checking the beds with tired, overworked care. They didn't even look up as Moore strode past them, and Hitomi noticed them seemed to be falling asleep on their feet.

"You were here two days ago when they brought this man in, weren't you?" he asked over his shoulder, leading her through a maze toward a bed in the back. A man with a blackened face half covered with dirty bandages rolled back and forth in fitful sleep as Moore and Hitomi leaned over him. "He was in what should have been a reconnaissance group, but ended up trying to break Sansom out of the dungeons instead. Obviously, they didn't succeed."

Hitomi nodded, but didn't say anything. The man's screams were still fresh in her mind.

"What made you come back to this country Jichia has forsaken?" asked Moore. "Sansom said you went into Zaibach and took down the emperor yourself. I didn't believe it then, and I still don't now. I don't think you're any more remarkable than any other girl in this country, but a lot of other people seem to think so."

"I'm nothing special," said Hitomi. "Yes, I can predict the future; yes, I can call souls from death; and yes, I killed Dornkirk, but I didn't do it for any reason. It was my destiny."

Moore snorted. "Huh. I don't believe in destiny. If my life had some divine purpose, Jichia would rise up out of the sea and inform me so I could be sure to complete it."

"Everyone has their own beliefs."

"And what are yours, Girl from the Mystic Moon? They must be very interesting and unusual, considering everything about you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You brought down the Zaibach empire, yet you consort so closely with its Strategos," Moore pointed out.

Hitomi sighed. "Why does everyone have to make such a big deal about that?"

"I'm not making a big deal," he argued. "All I'm saying is that they're two of the same thing, and yet you destroyed one of them while intending to preserve the other."

"How do you know all this anyway?" she inquired, dodging the subject.

"The palace is filled with people willing to tell me anything about anyone."

Hitomi looked down at the fallen soldier, curious about what his life had been like before he joined the resistance against King Aston. Was he like all those people outside, with a family somewhere and people who loved him? Was there someone out there looking for him, praying that he was still alive, or was he all alone, wishing there was someone left? Would he die here in this dark, miserable room because of infections caused by ill-tended wounds? Was he all that different from Hitomi, who sought to use her existence for the good of this country they both loved?

"Everyone in Asturia has the same pitiful dream," said Moore. "To someday return to that golden age of prosperity we used to have only a couple months ago. We just all have different ideas of how to get there. Do you think this man had the right idea?"

"Why do you care so much about what I think?" asked Hitomi, looking up at him.

"Well," Moore admitted, "Sansom had this crazy idea about convincing you to join our forces and lead us with your mystical powers. I really don't believe all those bullshit fairy tales he tells about you being a goddess, but if you really did destroy the Zaibach empire, maybe you _can _be some help."

"You just want me to _fight_ for you?" Hitomi was appalled. "I should have known. Every stupid army on this planet wants to use me and my power to take over everything. What makes you think, after what I went through with Zaibach, that I would _ever _give my help to you?"

Moore shook his head. "Nothing. I've just realized that. I guess I had you mistaken with another girl from the Mystic Moon who was willing to sacrifice everything to save the people she cared about."

"Don't you dare try to presume anything about me! You don't know me."

Moore turned and headed toward the door. "I guess not." He waved over his shoulder as he walked away. "Good luck, and may Jichia preserve us all, Lady Hypocrisy."

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Someone was crying in the library. Folken could them from the other side of the room as he entered the library later in the morning after Hitomi left. He had already read all of the textbooks she brought with her from the Mystic Moon, and without a better way to occupy his time, intended to find some more. By the sound of things, however, he guessed that the other someone in the library probably wanted to be left alone. As he walked among the dusty bookshelves, Folken considered the best way to leave the library without being noticed. However, he and the crying someone saw each other before he had a chance.

Millerna immediately swallowed her tears and rubbed her eyes in fruitless effort to compose herself. "Folken—," she started with a forced smile.

"I beg your pardon, Princess Millerna," Folken interrupted, bowing. "I'll give you your privacy."

"It's okay. This room is open to anyone." Millerna's smile quavered, and a rouge tear slid down her wet cheeks.

Folken ignored her offer, knowing it was only made to be polite. "Forgive me for bothering you. I'll be going." He turned to leave and never expected Millerna to call out to him.

"No, please wait!"

He stopped, quickly hiding his surprise, and turned around.

Millerna blushed. She hadn't meant to stop him. The only thing on her mind was how much she wanted someone to comfort her, not even caring who. It wasn't until she called out to Folken that she realized how selfish she was being; it wasn't any of his concern what was bothering her. "I . . ." she began. "I'm sorry."

Folken shook his head. "You have no reason to be sorry, Princess Millerna. It was I who intruded upon you."

Millerna shook her head roughly. "No, that's not it. I'm sorry about . . . well, everything. I haven't been very nice to you since you and Hitomi returned, and I think I owe you a lot more than an apology. Something to make up for all the horrible things I thought and said about you. About—"

"Really?" Folken interrupted her before she could get into any details. He had no desire to hear all the ill-will she harbored toward his relationship with Hitomi, whether those feelings were old, new, or still ached very much. "I never noticed." He was lying, but would never admit it.

Millerna seemed to take the hint. "I . . . I want to do something for you," she began, though not quite sure what it was she would do for him. She fiddled a stack of papers among the mess of important documents she'd been sifting through before dissolving in a fit of tears. That was when the idea formed. "You . . . need money, right? So that you and Hitomi can move out of the palace someday and live life on your own?"

Folken nodded slowly. "Yes, I have been thinking about it. But I won't accept charity," he added hurriedly, "if that's what you are offering. I will provide for Hitomi myself."

"No, I wasn't going to suggest charity," said Millerna. "I wanted to offer you a job." She blushed. "It's a stupid job compared to what you're used to. In fact, I feel like I'm going to offend you just by offering."

"What is it?" Folken asked, a bit apprehensive.

"Well, you see all these papers?" Millerna waved at the cluttered desk. "I don't really know that much about important political matters and things like that. All these old files came from a building that was ruined in the attack, and there's no one alive anymore who knows what they are. My father told me to sort through them and figure out what they were for, but I just can't make any sense of them." The young princess rambled on without reason, fearful that when she stopped talking, Folken would tell her just how foolish her suggestion was. "I've come across everything from work contracts to obituaries, and—"

"It's all right, Princess Millerna, I understand," Folken interrupted again. It had become obvious to him since arriving at the palace that sometimes Millerna had trouble finishing her thoughts. Especially around himself, it seemed. Why was that? He shook his head. "I can see why you need help," he said, referring to the papers.

Millerna held her breath in anticipation, wincing slightly as she feared for the worst.

"I must admit," Folken went on. "This is quite a bit different from the duties I'm used to . . ." He sighed inwardly. "But work is work."

Millerna's face lit up like a candle, and she let out her pent-up breath with relief. "Oh, thank you so much, Folken! You have no idea how much this means to me, truly. I'll talk to Father as soon as I see him about your pay. And I'll try to find something better for you to do, I promise. I know there are much better things a person of your prestige could be doing besides filing paperwork."

"I should be the one thanking you, Princess Millerna," Folken said politely, even though he already wished he hadn't agreed to the job.

Millerna waved it off. "Don't be silly." She leapt up from behind the desk and hurried around him toward the door. "Well, I should really go look for my father. Again, thank you so much!" She turned and dashed away.

Folken looked back at the desk with a sigh. "Aren't there court secretaries for this?" he mumbled. The mass of paper was a formidable obstacle, one which he had no idea how to combat. On board the _Vione_, there had always been a team of Zaibach soldiers assigned to the tedious chore of bookkeeping, who only handed paperwork to the Strategos when it needed his signature. Folken sighed. Another rare perk he missed about his days with Zaibach, respect being foremost.

Well, the paperwork wasn't going to file itself, he figured. And he wouldn't be paid for doing nothing. Nor would he accept pay for doing nothing. The only way, it seemed, that he could start saving money for his and Hitomi's future was by turning a clump of papers into and orderly stack. Oh, the monotony.

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**TO BE CONTINUED . . . **

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Poor Folken, forced to do a job that's so beneath him. nn Please review, and have a good day/night!


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